Combinatorial synthesis of inorganic or composite materials

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for the preparation and use of a substrate having an array of diverse materials in predefined regions thereon. A substrate having an array of diverse materials thereon is generally prepared by delivering components of materials to predefined regions on a substrate, and simultaneously reacting the components to form at least two materials or, alternatively, allowing the components to interact to form at least two different materials. Materials which can be prepared using the methods and apparatus of the present invention include, for example, covalent network solids, ionic solids and molecular solids. More particularly, materials which can be prepared using the methods and apparatus of the present invention include, for example, inorganic materials, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organic materials, organometallic materials, nonbiological organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), etc. Once prepared, these materials can be screened for useful properties including, for example, electrical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical, or other properties. Thus, the present invention provides methods for the parallel synthesis and analysis of novel materials having useful properties.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/327,513, filed Oct. 18, 1994 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,356. This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/483,043, filed May 8, 1995 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,359, which itself is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 08/327,513, filed Oct. 18, 1994 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,356. This application is also a continuation-in-part of PCT Application No. US 95/13278 filed Oct. 18, 1995 and now published as WO 96/11878, which itself claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 08/327,513, filed Oct. 18, 1994 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,356. The complete disclosures of each of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/841,423 entitled “System And Methods For The Combinatorial Synthesis of Novel Materials,” filed concurrently with this application on Apr. 22, 1997 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,671, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST

This invention was made with Government support pursuant to Contract No. DE-AC03-76SF00098 awarded by the Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for the deposition, synthesis and screening of an array of diverse materials at known locations on a single substrate' surface. The invention can be applied, for example, to prepare covalent network solids, ionic solids and molecular solids. More specifically, the invention can be applied to prepare inorganic materials, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organic materials, organometallic materials, nonbiological organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), etc. Once prepared, these materials can be screened, sequentially or in parallel, for useful properties including, for example, electrical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical, and other properties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The discovery of new materials with novel chemical and physical properties often leads to the development of new and useful technologies. Currently, there is a tremendous amount of activity in the discovery and optimization of materials, such as superconductors, zeolites, magnetic materials, phosphors, nonlinear optical materials, thermoelectric materials and high and low dielectric materials. Unfortunately, even though the chemistry of extended solids has been extensively explored, few general principles have emerged that allow one to predict with certainty the composition, structure and reaction pathways for the synthesis of such solid state compounds. Moreover, it is difficult to predict a priori the physical properties a particular three dimensional structure will possess. Consider, for example, the synthesis of the YBa₂Cu₃O₇₋₈ superconductor in 1987. Soon after the discovery of the La_(2−x)Sr_(x)CuO₄ superconductor, which adopts the K₂NiF₄ structure (Bednorz, J. G. and K. A. Müller, Z. Phy. B 64:189 (1986), it was observed that the application of pressure increased the transition temperature (Chu, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 58:405 (1987)). As such, Chu, et al. attempted to synthesize a Y—Ba—Cu—O compound of the same stoichiometry in the hope that substitution of the smaller element, i.e., yttrium, for lanthanum would have the same effect. Although they found superconductivity above 93K, no phase with K₂NiF₄ structure was observed (Wu, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 58:908 (1987)). Even for the relatively simple intermetallic compounds, such as the binary compounds of nickel and zirconium (Ni₅Zr, Ni₇Zr₂, Ni₃Zr, Ni₂Zr₈, Ni₁₀Zr₇, Ni₁₁Zr₉, NiZr and NiZr₂), it is not yet understood why only certain stoichiometries occur.

Clearly, the preparation of new materials with novel chemical and physical properties is at best happenstance with our current level of understanding. Consequently, the discovery of new materials depends largely on the ability to synthesize and analyze new compounds. Given approximately 100 elements in the periodic table which can be used to make compositions consisting of three, four, five, six or more elements, the universe of possible new compounds remains largely unexplored. As such, there exists a need in the art for a more efficient, economical and systematic approach for the synthesis of novel materials and for the screening of such materials for useful properties.

One of the processes whereby nature produces molecules having novel functions involves the generation of large collections (libraries) of molecules and the systematic screening of those collections for molecules having a desired property. An example of such a process is the humoral immune system which in a matter of weeks sorts through some 10¹² antibody molecules to find one which specifically binds a foreign pathogen (Nisonoff, et al., The Antibody Molecule (Academic Press, New York, 1975)). This notion of generating and screening large libraries of molecules has recently been applied to the drug discovery process. The discovery of new drugs can be likened to the process of finding a key which fits a lock of unknown structure. One solution to the problem is to simply produce and test a large number of different keys in the hope that one will fit the lock.

Using this logic, methods have been developed for the synthesis and screening of large libraries (up to 10¹⁴ molecules) of peptides, oligonucleotides and other small molecules. Geysen, et al., for example, have developed a method wherein peptide syntheses are carried out in parallel on several rods or pins (see, J. Immun. Meth. 102:259-274 (1987), incorporated herein by reference for all purposes). Generally, the Geysen, et al. method involves functionalizing the termini of polymeric rods and sequentially immersing the termini in solutions of individual amino acids. In addition to the Geysen, et al. method, techniques have recently been introduced for synthesizing large arrays of different peptides and other polymers on solid surfaces. Pirrung, et al., have developed a technique for generating arrays of peptides and other molecules using, for example, light-directed, spatially-addressable synthesis techniques (see, U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,854 and PCT Publication No. WO 90/15070, incorporated herein by reference for all purposes). In addition, Fodor, et al. have developed, among other things, a method of gathering fluorescence intensity data, various photosensitive protecting groups, masking techniques, and automated techniques for performing light-directed, spatially-addressable synthesis techniques (see, Fodor, et al., PCT Publication No. WO 92/10092, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes).

Using these various methods, arrays containing thousands or millions of different elements can be formed (see, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 805,727, filed Dec. 6, 1991, which issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,186 on Jun. 13, 1995 the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference for all at result of their relationship to semiconductor fabrication techniques, these methods have come to be referred to as “Very Large Scale Immobilized Polymer Synthesis,” or “VLSIPS™” technology. Such techniques have met with substantial success in, for example, screening various ligands such as peptides and oligonucleotides to determine their relative binding affinity to a receptor such as an antibody.

The solid phase synthesis techniques currently being used to prepare such libraries involve the stepwise, i.e., sequential, coupling of building blocks to form the compounds of interest. In the Pirrung, et al. method, for example, polypeptide arrays are synthesized on a substrate by attaching photoremovable groups to the surface of the substrate, exposing selected regions of the substrate to light to activate those regions, attaching an amino acid monomer with a photoremovable group to the activated region, and repeating the steps of activation and attachment until polypeptides of the desired length and sequences are synthesized. These solid phase synthesis techniques, which involve the sequential coupling of building blocks (e.g., amino acids) to form the compounds of interest, cannot readily be used to prepare many inorganic and organic compounds.

From the above, it is seen that a method and apparatus for synthesizing and screening libraries of materials, such as inorganic materials, at known locations on a substrate are desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for the preparation and use of a substrate having an array of diverse materials in predefined regions thereon. In one embodiment, a substrate having an array of diverse materials thereon is prepared by delivering components of materials to predefined regions on the substrate, and simultaneously reacting the components to form at least two different materials. In another embodiment, a substrate having an array of diverse materials thereon is prepared by delivering components of materials to predefined regions on the substrate in a manner such that the components of the first material and the components of the second material interact to form at least two different materials. Materials which can be prepared using the methods and apparatus of the present invention include, for example, covalent network solids, ionic solids and molecular solids. More particularly, materials which can be prepared include inorganic materials, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organic materials, organometallic materials, nonbiological organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), etc.

Once prepared, these materials can be screened, sequentially or in parallel, for useful properties including, for example, electrical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical and other properties. As such, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for the parallel synthesis and analysis of novel materials having new and useful properties and/or functions. In a presently preferred embodiment, each of the resulting materials will be screened or interrogated for the same property and/or function, and the relative performances of each resulting material with regard to that property and/or function will be determined. Thus, for example, the resulting materials can be screened for useful properties and/or functions and then ranked or otherwise compared relative to each other with respect to such useful properties and/or functions. Any material found to possess a useful property and/or function can be subsequently prepared on a large-scale.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a first component of a first material is delivered to a first region on a substrate, and a first component of a second material is delivered to a second region on the same substrate. Simultaneously with or thereafter, a second component of the first material is delivered to the first region on the substrate, and a second component of the second material is delivered to the second region on the substrate. The process is optionally repeated, with additional components, to form a vast array of components at predefined, i.e., known, locations on the substrate. Thereafter, the components are simultaneously reacted to form at least two different materials. The components can be sequentially or simultaneously delivered to predefined regions on the substrate in any composition, concentration, stoichiometry or thickness, including a gradient of compositions, concentrations, stoichiometries or thicknesses, using any of a number of different delivery techniques.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a first component of a first material is delivered to a first region on a substrate, and a first component of a second material is delivered to a second region on the same substrate. Simultaneously with or thereafter, a second component of the first material is delivered to the first region on the substrate, and a second component of the second material is delivered to the second region on the substrate. This process is optionally repeated, with additional components, to form a vast array of materials at predefined, i.e., known, locations on the substrate. The components can be sequentially or simultaneously delivered to the predefined regions on the substrate in any composition, concentration, stoichiometry or thickness, including a gradient of compositions, concentrations, stoichiometries or thicknesses, using any of a number of different delivery techniques. The resulting materials (e.g., layers, blends or mixtures, or combinations thereof) can be produced by the components interacting (e.g., reacting, intermingling, interdiffusing, interspersing, doping, implanting, e.g., ion implanting, interpenetrating, condensing, fusing, interlocking, etc.) with each other before they come in contact with the substrate, as they come in contact with each other on the substrate, or after they are delivered to the substrate. In some embodiments, the components interact with each other upon exposure to or after introduction of an external source. Such external sources include, but are not limited to, a chemical substance, energy, radiation, electricity, heat, pressure, voltage, etc.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for forming at least two different arrays of materials by delivering substantially the same reaction components at substantially identical concentrations to reaction regions on both first and second substrates and, thereafter, subjecting the components on the first substrate to a first set of reaction conditions and the components on the second substrate to a second set of reaction conditions. Using this method, the effects of the various reaction parameters can be studied on many materials simultaneously and, in turn, such reaction parameters can be optimized. Reaction parameters which can be varied include, for example, reactant amounts, reactant solvents, reaction temperatures, reaction times, the pressures at which the reactions are carried out, the atmospheres in which the reactions are conducted, the rates at which the reactions are quenched, the order in which the reactants are deposited, etc.

In the delivery systems of the present invention, a small, precisely metered amount of each component is delivered into each predefined region. This may be accomplished using a variety of delivery techniques, either alone or in combination with a variety of masking techniques. For example, thin-film deposition techniques in combination with physical masking or photolithographic techniques can be used to deliver various components to selected regions on the substrate. Components can be delivered as amorphous films, epitaxial films, or lattice and superlattice structures. Moreover, using such techniques, components can be delivered to each site in a uniform distribution, or in a gradient of stoichiometries. Alternatively, the various components can be deposited into the predefined regions of interest from a dispenser in the form of droplets or powder. Suitable dispensers include, for example, micropipettes, mechanisms adapted from ink-jet printing technology and electrophoretic pumps.

Once the components of interest have been delivered to predefined regions on the substrate, they can be reacted using a number of different synthetic routes to form an array of materials. The components can be reacted using, for example, solution based synthesis techniques, photochemical techniques, polymerization techniques, template directed synthesis techniques, epitaxial growth techniques, by the sol-gel process, by thermal, infrared or microwave heating, by calcination, sintering or annealing, by hydrothermal methods, by flux methods, by crystallization through vaporization of solvent, etc. Thereafter, the array can be screened for materials having useful properties.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an array of inorganic materials on a single substrate at predefined regions thereon is provided. Such an array can consists of more than 10, 10², 10³, 10⁴, 10⁵ or 10⁶ different inorganic compounds. In some embodiments, the density of regions per unit area will be greater than 0.04 regions/cm², greater than 0.1 regions/cm², greater than 1 region/cm², greater than 10 regions/cm², and greater than 100 regions/cm². In some preferred embodiments, the density of regions per unit area will be greater than 1,000 regions/cm², greater than 10,000 regions/cm², greater than 100,000 regions/cm², and greater than 10,000,000 regions/cm².

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a material having a useful property prepared by: forming an array of materials on a single substrate; screening the array for a material having a useful property; and making additional amounts of the material having the useful property. As such, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for the parallel synthesis and analysis of novel materials having new and useful properties.

Using the foregoing method, a new family of giant magnetoresistive (GMR) cobalt oxides has been discovered. Arrays of materials containing different compositions and stoichiometries of Ln_(1−x)M_(x)CoO_(z), wherein Ln is, for example, Y and La, M is, for example, Pb, Ca, Sr and Ba, x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9 and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4, were formed using thin film deposition techniques in combination with masking techniques. Once formed, the arrays of materials were screened for those materials among them having useful properties. More particularly, the arrays of materials were screened for specific materials having giant magnetoresistive (GMR) properties, among others. In doing so, large magnetoresistance (MR) was found in La_(1−x)-(Ba, Sr, Ca)_(x)—CoO_(z) samples, wherein x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9, and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4. Once the materials having useful properties were identified, additional amounts of such materials were prepared.

In doing so, it has been determined that the compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides have the following general formula: A_(y·(1−x))M_(y·x)CoO_(z), wherein A is a metal selected from the group consisting of lanthanum (La), yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yp) and lutecium (Lu); M is a metal selected from the group consisting of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), lead (Pb), thallium (Tl) and bismuth (Bi); y has a value ranging from about 1 to about 2; x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9; and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4. Moreover, it has been determined that the compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides generally have a layered, perovskite-related structure.

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the inventions herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates masking of a substrate at a first location; the substrate is shown in cross-section;

FIGS. 2A-2I illustrate the use of binary masking techniques to generate an array of materials on a single substrate;

FIGS. 3A-3I illustrate the use of physical masking techniques to generate an array of materials on a single substrate;

FIGS. 4A-4M illustrate the use of physical masking techniques to generate an array of materials on a single substrate;

FIG. 5 displays the elements of a typical guided droplet dispenser that may be used to deliver the component solution(s) of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a reaction system employing an eight RF magnetron sputtering gun and a carrousel;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a reaction system employing an eight RF magnetron sputtering gun and a cassette;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a reaction system a pulsed laser and a cassette;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a reaction system employing a pulsed laser and a sliding and shutter masking system;

FIGS. 10A-10D illustrates various masks which can be used in carrying out the methods of the present invention. FIG. 10A illustrates an example of an X/Y shutter mask; FIG. 10B illustrates 5 masking patterns which can be used to create 5 separate columns along a substrate for 5 different reaction components; FIG. 10C illustrates an example of how the X/Y shutter mask can be used to create a thickness gradient of one component across the substrate; and FIG. 10D a mask which when translated across the substrate, 5 different components are deposited in each half of the substrate.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a flat sheet containing thereon both binary masks and an X/Y shutter.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of temperature control in a library through resistive heating;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a Scanning RF Susceptibility Detection System which can be used to detect the superconductivity of an array of materials;

FIG. 14 is a map of the components delivered to the 16 predefined regions on the MgO substrate;

FIG. 15 is a photograph of an array of 16 different compounds on the 1.25 cm×1.25 cm MgO substrate;

FIGS. 16A-16B illustrate the resistance of the two conducting materials as a function of temperature;

FIG. 17 illustrate the binary masks used to generate the library of resulting materials; numbers in lower left hand and upper righthand corners indicate position of each member in the library; M0 corresponds to no secondary mask;

FIG. 18 is a photograph of the 128 member binary library prior to sintering; the color of each site is the natural color of reflected light from a white light source;

FIGS. 19A-19B illustrate resistivity vs. temperature plots: (A) ● BiCuSrCaO; and (B) ● BiCuSrCaCuCaO and ◯ BiCuCuSrCaCaO;

FIG. 20 illustrates the masks used to generate the YBCO-BSCCO library.

FIGS. 21A-21C illustrates resistivity vs. temperature plots: (A) BiCuSrCaO; (B) YBaCaO; and (C) YBa₂Cu₃O_(x);

FIG. 22 illustrates the masks used to generate the libraries of cobalt oxide (CoO) thin-film materials;

FIG. 23 illustrates a map of compositions and stoichiometries (Ln_(x)M_(y)CoO_(3,δ), where Ln=La and Y, and M=Ba, Sr, Ca and Pb) of thin film samples in libraries L2 and L3. Samples are labeled by index (row number, column number) in the text and figure legend. The first number in each box indicates x and the second y. Black, solid circles indicate the samples that show significant MR effects (>5%);

FIGS. 24A and 24B illustrate MR ratios of representative samples in L2 (19A) and L3 (19B) as a function of magnetic field;

FIGS. 25A and 25B illustrate the resistance of sample L3(13, 2) under 0 T and 10 T and the MR ratio (H=10 T) as a function of temperature (20A), and MR ratios of the sample for different magnetic fields as a function of temperature (20B). The solid lines are guides to the eye;

FIGS. 26A, 26B and 26C illustrate the X-ray diffraction patterns (indexed for cubic perovskite structure) for Ba, Sr and Ca doped bulk samples, respectively; the X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the structure of this new class of cobalt oxides is cubic perovskite with some slight distortion; and

FIG. 27 illustrates the magnetization of the bulk sample La_(0.58)Sr_(0.41)CoO_(δ) under 1 T field as a function of temperature. The solid line is a guide to the eye. The inset in FIG. 22 illustrates the MR ratios of the sample at different temperatures as a function of magnetic field.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Contents

I. Glossary

II. General Overview

III. Isolation of Predefined Regions on The Substrate

IV. Methods For Delivery Of Components

A. Delivery Using Thin-Film Deposition Techniques

B. Delivery Using A Dispenser

V. Multi-Target, Thin-Film Deposition Systems

VI. Moving The Dispenser With Respect To The Substrate

VII. Synthetic Routes For Reacting The Array Of Components

VIII. Methods For Screening An Array Of Materials

IX. Alternative Embodiments

X. Examples

-   -   A. Synthesis of An Array of 16 Copper Oxide Thin-Film Materials     -   B. Synthesis of An Array of 128 Copper Oxide Thin-Film Materials     -   C. Synthesis of An Array of 128 Copper Oxide Thin-Film Materials     -   Containing BiSrCaCuO and YBaCuO Superconducting Materials     -   D. Synthesis of Arrays of Cobalt Oxide Thin-film Materials     -   E. Synthesis of An Array of 16 Different Organic Polymers     -   F. Synthesis of An Array of Different Zeolites     -   G. Synthesis of An Array of Copper Oxide Compounds Using         Spraying Deposition Techniques     -   H. Synthesis of An Array of 16 Different Zinc Silicate Phosphors     -   I. Synthesis of An Array of Copper Oxide Thin-Film Materials         Using

Sputtering Techniques In Combination With Photolithography Masking Techniques

XI. Conclusion

I. Glossary

The following terms are intended to have the following general meanings as they are used herein.

-   1. Substrate: A material having a rigid or semi-rigid surface. In     many embodiments, at least one surface of the substrate will be     substantially flat, although in some embodiments it may be desirable     to physically separate synthesis regions for different materials     with, for example, dimples, wells, raised regions, etched trenches,     or the like. In some embodiments, the substrate itself contains     wells, raised regions, etched trenches, etc. which form all or part     of the synthesis regions. According to other embodiments, small     beads or pellets may be provided on the surface within dimples or on     other regions of the surface or, alternatively, the small beads or     pellets may themselves be the substrate. -   2. Predefined Region: A predefined region is a localized area on a     substrate which is, was, or is intended to be used for formation of     a selected material and is otherwise referred to herein in the     alternative as “known” region, “reaction” region, a “selected”     region, or simply a “region.” The predefined region may have any     convenient shape, e.g., linear, circular, rectangular, elliptical,     wedge-shaped, etc. Additionally, the predefined region, i.e., the     reaction site, can be a bead or pellet which is coated with a     reactant component(s) of interest. In this embodiment, the bead or     pellet can be identified with a tag, such as an etched binary bar     code that can be used to indicate the history of the bead or pellet,     i.e., to identify which components were deposited thereon. In some     embodiments, a predefined region and, therefore, the area upon which     each distinct material is synthesized is smaller than about 25 cm²,     preferably less than 10 cm², more preferably less than 5 cm², even     more preferably less than 1 cm², still more preferably less than 1     mm², and even more preferably less than 0.5 mm². In most preferred     embodiments, the regions have an area less than about 10,000 μm²,     preferably less than 1,000 μm², more preferably less than 100 μm²,     and even more preferably less than 10 μm². -   3. Radiation: Energy which may be selectively applied including     energy having a wavelength between 10⁻¹⁴ and 10⁴ meters including,     for example, electron beam radiation, gamma radiation, x-ray     radiation, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, infrared radiation,     microwave radiation and radio waves. “Irradiation” refers to the     application of radiation to a surface. -   4. Component: “Component” is used herein to refer to each of the     individual chemical substances that are delivered onto a substrate.     The individual components can act upon one another to produce a     particular material. The components can react with each other or,     alternatively, they can be acted on by an external source, such as a     chemical substance or an energy source (e.g., radiation, voltage,     electric field, etc.). A component can be an element, a chemical, a     mixture of elements or chemicals, etc., present in variable     stoichiometries. The components can react directly with each other     or with an external source or, alternatively, they can form layers,     blends or mixtures, or combinations thereof. -   5. Resulting Material: The term “material” or, interchangeably,     “resulting material” is used herein to refer to the component or     combination of components that have been delivered onto a predefined     region of a substrate. The resulting materials may comprise a single     component or, a combination of components that have reacted directly     with each other or with an external source. Alternatively, the     resulting material may comprise a layer, blend or mixture of     components on a predefined region of the substrate. The resulting     materials can be screened for performance related to a specific     function or useful property, and, thereafter, they can be compared     with each other to determine their relative performance with respect     to the specific function or useful property be screened for. The     term “material” is used herein to refer to solid-state compounds,     inorganic compounds, extended solids, extended solutions, clusters     of molecules or atoms, crystals, etc. -   6. Layer: The term “layer” is used herein to refer to a material     that separates one material, component, substrate or environment     from another. A layer is often thin in relation to its area and     covers a material beneath it. A layer may or may not be thin or     flat, but once it is deposited it generally covers the entire     surface such that it separates the component or substrate below the     layer from the component or atmosphere above the layer. A layer may     be a flat, thin section of material which can have similar flat     sections above and below it. The layers are typically thin in     relation to their area and may cover all or part of the material     beneath them. -   7. Mixture or Blend: The term “mixture” or, interchangeably, “blend”     refers to a collection of molecules, ions, electrons, chemical     substances, etc. Each component in the mixture can be independently     varied. A mixture can consist of two or more substances intermingled     with no constant percentage composition, wherein each component may     or may not retain its essential original properties, and where     molecular phase mixing may or may not occur. In mixtures, the     components making up the mixture may or may not remain     distinguishable from each other by virtue of their chemical     structure. -   8. Covalent Network Solids: Solids that consist of atoms held     together in a large network of chains by covalent bonds. Such     covalent network solids include, but are not limited to, diamond,     silicon nitride, graphite, bunkmisterfullerene and organic polymers     which cannot be synthesized in a stepwise fashion. -   9. Ionic Solids: Solids which can be modeled as cations and anions     held together by electrical attraction of opposite charge. Such     ionic solids include, but are not restricted to, CaF₂, CdCl₂, ZnCl₂,     NaCl₂, AgF, AgCl, AgBr and spinels (e.g., ZnAl₂O₄, MgAl₂O₄, FrCr₂O₄,     etc.). -   10. Molecular Solids: Solids consisting of atoms or molecules held     together by intermolecular forces. Molecular solids include, but are     not limited to, extended solids, solid neon, organic compounds,     synthetic or organic metals (e.g.,     tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinonedimethane (TTF-TCNQ)), liquid     crystals (e.g., cyclic siloxanes) and protein crystals. -   11. Inorganic Materials: Materials which do not contain carbon as a     principal element. The oxides and sulphides of carbon and the     metallic carbides are considered inorganic materials. Examples of     inorganic compounds which can be synthesized using the methods of     the present invention include, but are not restricted to, the     following:     -   (a) Intermetallics (or Intermediate Constituents): Intermetallic         compounds constitute a unique class of metallic materials that         form long-range ordered crystal structures below a critical         temperature. Such materials form when atoms of two metals         combine in certain proportions to form crystals with a different         structure from that of either of the two metals (e.g., NiAl,         CrBe₂, CuZn, etc.).     -   (b) Metal Alloys: A substance having metallic properties and         which is composed of a mixture of two or more chemical elements         of which at least one is a metal.     -   (c) Magnetic Alloys: An alloy exhibiting ferromagnetism such as         silicon iron, but also iron-nickel alloys, which may contain         small amounts of any of a number of other elements (e.g.,         copper, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, etc.), and         iron-cobalt alloys.     -   (d) Ceramics: Typically, a ceramic is a metal oxide, boride,         carbide, nitride, or a mixture of such materials. Ceramics are         inorganic, nonmetallic, nonmolecular solids, including both         amorphous and crystalline materials. Ceramics are illustrative         of materials that can be formed and screened for a particular         property using the present invention. Such materials include,         for example, alumina, zirconium, silicon carbide, aluminum         nitride, silicon nitride, the YBa₂Cu₃O₇₋₈ superconductor, the         La_(2−x)Sr_(x)CuO₄ superconductors, the Bi₂CaSr₂Cu₂O_(8+x)         superconductors, the Ba_(1−x)K_(x)BiO₃ superconductors, the         ReBaCu superconductors, ferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉), Zeolite A         (Na₁₂[(SiO₂)₁₂(AlO₂)].27H₂O), soft and permanent magnets, high         dielectric constant materials (BaTiO₃), piezoelectric materials         (e.g., lead zirconate titanate (PZT), NaNbO₃, and NaTaO₃),         electro-optic materials (e.g., lithium niobate (LiNbO₃)), giant         magnetoresistant materials (GMR), etc. A “giant         magnetoresistant” material, as used herein, refers to a material         having a change in resistance when exposed to a magnetic field         that is greater than 5 percent relative to the resistance it had         when no field was applied. That is to say, the absolute value of         the percentage change in resistance is greater than 5 percent,

${i.e.},{{\frac{\Delta\; R}{R}} > {5{\%.}}}$

-   -    The change in resistance is determined by:

$\frac{\Delta\; R}{R} = \frac{\left( {\text{[Resistance When A Field Is Applied]} - \text{[Resistance When No Field Is Applied]}} \right)}{\left\lbrack \text{Resistance When No Field Is Applied} \right\rbrack}$

-   12. Organic Materials: Compounds, which generally consist of carbon     and hydrogen, with or without oxygen, nitrogen or other elements,     except those in which carbon does not play a critical role (e.g.,     carbonate salts). Examples of organic materials which can be     synthesized using the methods of the present invention include, but     are not restricted to, the following:     -   (a) Nonbiological, organic polymers: Nonmetallic materials         consisting of large macromolecules composed of many repeating         units. Such materials can be either natural or synthetic,         cross-linked or non-crosslinked, and they may be homopolymers,         copolymers, or higher-ordered polymers (e.g., terpolymers,         etc.). By “nonbiological,” α-amino acids and nucleotides are         excluded. More particularly, “nonbiological, organic polymers”         exclude those polymers which are synthesized by a linear,         stepwise coupling of building blocks. Examples of polymers which         can be prepared using the methods of the present invention         include, but are not limited to, the following: polyurethanes,         polyesters, polycarbonates, polyethyleneimines, polyacetates,         polystyrenes, polyamides, polyanilines, polyacetylenes,         polypyrroles, etc. -   13. Organometallic Materials: A class of compounds of the type R-M,     wherein carbon atoms are linked directly with metal atoms (e.g.,     lead tetraethyl (Pb(C₂H₅)₄), sodium phenyl (C₆H₅Na), zinc dimethyl     (Zn(CH₃)₂), etc.). -   14. Composite Materials: Any combination of two materials differing     in form or composition on a macroscale. The constituents of     composite materials retain their identities, i.e., they do not     dissolve or merge completely into one another although they act in     concert. Such composite materials may be inorganic, organic or a     combination thereof. Included within this definition are, for     example, doped materials, dispersed metal catalysts and other     heterogeneous solids.

II. General Overview

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for the preparation and use of a substrate having an array of materials in predefined regions thereon. The invention is described herein primarily with regard to the preparation of inorganic materials, but can readily be applied in the preparation of other materials. Materials which can be prepared in accordance with the methods of the present invention include, for example, covalent network solids, ionic solids and molecular solids. More particularly, materials which can be prepared in accordance with the methods of the present invention include, but are not limited to, inorganic materials, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organic materials, organometallic materials, nonbiological organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), or other materials which will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure.

The resulting substrate having an array of materials thereon will have a variety of uses. For example, once prepared, the substrate can be screened for materials having useful properties. Accordingly, the array of materials is preferably synthesized on a single substrate. By synthesizing the array of materials on a single substrate, screening the array for materials having useful properties is more easily carried out. In a presently preferred embodiment, each of the resulting materials will be screened or interrogated for the same property and/or function, and the relative performances of each resulting material with regard to that property and/or function will be determined. Thus, for example, the resulting materials can be screened for useful properties and/or functions and then ranked or otherwise compared relative to each other with respect to these useful properties and/or functions. Any material found to possess a useful property and/or function can be subsequently prepared on a large-scale.

Properties which can be screened for include, for example, electrical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical, etc. More particularly, properties which can be screened for include, for example, conductivity, super-conductivity, resistivity, thermal conductivity, anisotropy, hardness, crystallinity, optical transparency, magnetoresistance, permeability, frequency doubling, photoemission, coercivity, dielectric strength, or other useful properties which will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Importantly, the synthesizing and screening of a diverse array of materials enables new compositions with new physical properties to be identified. Any material found to possess a useful property can be subsequently prepared on a large-scale. It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that once useful materials have been identified using the methods of the present invention, a variety of different methods can be used to prepare such useful materials on a large or bulk scale with essentially the same structure and properties.

Generally, the array of materials is prepared by successively delivering components of materials to predefined regions on a substrate, and simultaneously reacting the components to form at least two materials or, alternatively, allowed to interact to form at least two materials. In one embodiment, for example, a first component of a first material is delivered to a first preferred region on a substrate, and a first component of a second material is delivered to a second preferred region on the same substrate. Simultaneously with or thereafter, a second component of the first material is delivered to the first region on the substrate, and a second component of the second material is delivered to the second region on the substrate. Each component can be delivered in either a uniform or gradient fashion to produce either a single stoichiometry or, alternatively, a large number of stoichiometries within a single predefined region. Moreover, reactants can be delivered as amorphous films, epitaxial films, or lattice or superlattice structures. The process is repeated, with additional components, to form a vast array of components at predefined, i.e., known, locations on the substrate. Thereafter, the components are simultaneously reacted to form at least two materials or, alternatively, the components interact to form at least two materials. As explained hereinbelow, the components can be sequentially or simultaneously delivered to predefined regions on the substrate using any of a number of different delivery techniques.

In the methods of the present invention, the components, after being delivered to predefined regions on the substrate, can be reacted using a number of different synthetic routes. For example, the components can be reacted using, for example, solution based synthesis techniques, photochemical techniques, polymerization techniques, template directed synthesis techniques, epitaxial growth techniques, by the sol-gel process, by thermal, infrared or microwave heating, by calcination, sintering or annealing, by hydrothermal methods, by flux methods, by crystallization through vaporization of solvent, etc. Other useful synthesis techniques that can be used to simultaneously react the components of interest will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art.

Since the reactions are preferably conducted in parallel, the number of reaction steps can be minimized. Moreover, the reaction conditions at different reaction regions can be controlled independently. As such, reactant amounts, reactant solvents, reaction temperatures, reaction times, the rates at which the reactions are quenched, deposition order of reactants, etc. can be varied from reaction region to reaction region on the substrate. Thus, for example, the first component of the first material and the first component of the second material can be the same or different. If the first component of the first material is the same as the first component of the second materials, this component can be offered to the first and second regions on the substrate in either the same or different amounts. This is true as well for the second component of the first material and the second component of the second material, etc. As with the first component of the first and second materials, the second component of the first material and the second component of the second material can be the same or different and, if the same, this component can be offered to the first and second regions on the substrate in either the same or different amounts. Moreover, within a given predefined region on the substrate, the component can be delivered in either a uniform or gradient fashion. In addition, if the same components are delivered to the first and second regions on the substrate at identical concentrations, then the reaction conditions (e.g., reaction temperatures, reaction times, etc.) under which the reactions are carried out can be varied from reaction region to reaction region.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a first component of a first material is delivered to a first region on a substrate, and a first component of a second material is delivered to a second region on the same substrate. Simultaneously with or thereafter, a second component of the first material is delivered to the first region on the substrate, and a second component of the second material is delivered to the second region on the substrate. This process is optionally repeated, with additional components, to form a vast array of materials at predefined, i.e., known, locations on the substrate. The components can be sequentially or simultaneously delivered to the predefined regions on the substrate in any composition, concentration, stoichiometry or thickness, including a gradient of compositions, concentrations, stoichiometries or thicknesses, using any of a number of different delivery techniques. The resulting materials (e.g., layers, blends or mixtures, or combinations thereof) can be produced by the components interacting (e.g., reacting, intermingling, interdiffusing, interspersing, doping, implanting, e.g., ion implanting, interpenetrating, condensing, fusing, interlocking, etc.) with each other before they come in contact with the substrate, as they come in contact with each other on the substrate, or after they are delivered to the substrate. In some embodiments, the components interact with each other upon exposure to or after introduction of an external source. Such external sources include, but are not limited to, a chemical substance, energy, radiation, electricity, heat, pressure, voltage, etc.

Moreover, in one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for forming at least two different arrays of materials by delivering substantially the same reactant components at substantially identical concentrations to reaction regions on both first and second substrates and, thereafter, subjecting the components on the first substrate to a first set of reaction conditions and the components on the second substrate to a second set of reaction conditions in a wide array of compositions. Using this method, the effects of the various reaction parameters can be studied and, in turn, optimized. Reaction parameters which can be varied include, for example, reactant amounts, reactant solvents, reaction temperatures, reaction times, the pressures at which the reactions are carried out, the atmospheres in which the reactions are conducted, the rates at which the reactions are quenched, the order in which the reactants are deposited, etc. Other reaction parameters which can be varied will be apparent to those of skill in the art.

The components in the individual predefined regions must often be prevented from moving to adjacent reaction regions. Most simply, this can be ensured by leaving a sufficient amount of space between the reaction regions on the substrate so that the various components cannot interdiffuse between reaction regions. Moreover, this can be ensured by providing an appropriate bather between the various predefined regions on the substrate. In one approach, a mechanical device or physical structure defines the various predefined regions on the substrate. A wall or other physical bather, for example, can be used to prevent the components in the individual predefined regions from moving to adjacent reaction regions. This wall or physical bather can be removed after the synthesis is carried out. One of skill in the art will appreciate that, at times, it may be beneficial to remove the wall or physical bather before screening the array of materials.

In another approach, a hydrophobic material, for example, can be used to coat the region surrounding the individual predefined regions. Such materials prevent aqueous (and certain other polar) solutions from moving to adjacent predefined regions on the substrate. Of course, when nonaqueous or nonpolar solvents are employed, different surface coatings will be required. Moreover, by choosing appropriate materials (e.g., substrate material, hydrophobic coatings, reactant solvents, etc.), one can control the contact angle of the droplet with respect to the substrate surface Large contact angles are desired because the area surrounding the reaction region remains unwetted by the solution within the reaction region.

In the delivery systems of the present invention, a small, precisely metered amount of each component is delivered into each predefined region. This may be accomplished using a variety of delivery techniques, either alone or in combination with a variety of masking techniques. For example, thin-film deposition techniques in combination with physical masking or photolithographic techniques can be used to deliver the various components to selected regions on the substrate. More particularly, sputtering systems, spraying techniques, laser ablation techniques, electron beam or thermal evaporation, ion implantation or doping techniques, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), as well as other techniques used in the fabrication of integrated circuits and epitaxially grown materials can be applied to deposit highly uniform layers of the reactant components on selected regions on the substrate. Alternatively, by varying the relative geometries of the mask, target and/or substrate, a gradient of reactant components can be deposited within each predefined regions on the substrate or, alternatively, over all of the predefined regions on the substrate. Such thin-film deposition techniques are generally used in combination with masking techniques to ensure that the components are being delivered only to the predefined regions of interest.

Moreover, in addition to the foregoing, the various components can be deposited on the predefined regions of interest from a dispenser in the form of droplets or powder. Conventional micropipetting apparatuses can, for example, be adapted to dispense droplet volumes of 5 nanoliters or smaller from a capillary. Such droplets can fit within a predefined region having a diameter of 300 μm or less when a mask is employed. The dispenser can also be of the type employed in conventional ink-jet printers. Such ink-jet dispenser systems include, for example, the pulse pressure type dispenser system, the bubble jet type dispenser system and the slit jet type dispenser system. These ink-jet dispenser systems are able to deliver droplet volumes as small as 5 picoliters. Moreover, such dispenser systems can be manual or, alternatively, they can be automated using, for example, robotics techniques.

The dispenser of the present invention can be aligned with respect to the appropriate predefined regions by a variety of conventional systems. Such systems, which are widely used in the microelectronic device fabrication and testing arts, can deliver droplets of reactant components to individual reaction regions at rates of up to 5,000 drops per second. The translational (X-Y) accuracy of such systems is well within 1 μm. The position of the dispenser stage of such systems can be calibrated with respect to the position of the substrate by a variety of methods known in the art. For example, with only one or two reference points on the substrate surface, a “dead reckoning” method can be provided to locate each predefined region on the substrate. The reference marks in any such systems can be accurately identified by using capacitive, resistive or optical sensors. Alternatively, a “vision” system employing a camera can be employed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser can be aligned with respect to the predefined region of interest by a system analogous to that employed in magnetic and optical storage media fields. For example, the predefined region in which the component is to be deposited is identified by its track and sector location on the disk substrate. The dispenser is then moved to the appropriate track while the disk substrate rotates. When the appropriate predefined region is positioned below the dispenser, a droplet of component solution is released.

In some embodiments, the predefined regions may be further defined by dimples in the substrate surface. This will be especially advantageous when a head or other sensing device must contact or glide along the substrate surface. The dimples can also act as identification marks directing the dispenser to the predefined region of interest.

III. Isolation of Predefined Regions on a Substrate

In a preferred embodiment, the methods of the present invention are used to prepare an array of diverse materials at known locations on a single substrate surface. Essentially, any conceivable substrate can be employed in the invention. The substrate can be organic, inorganic, biological, nonbiological, or a combination of any of these, existing as particles, strands, precipitates, gels, sheets, tubing, spheres, containers, capillaries, pads, slices, films, plates, slides, etc. The substrate can have any convenient shape, such a disc, square, sphere, circle, etc. The substrate is preferably flat, but may take on a variety of alternative surface configurations. For example, the substrate may contain raised or depressed regions on which the synthesis of diverse materials takes place. The substrate and its surface preferably form a rigid support on which to carry out the reactions described herein. The substrate may be any of a wide variety of materials including, for example, polymers, plastics, pyrex, quartz, resins, silicon, silica or silica-based materials, carbon, metals, inorganic glasses, inorganic crystals, membranes, etc. Other substrate materials will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Surfaces on the solid substrate can be composed of the same materials as the substrate or, alternatively, they can be different, i.e., the substrates can be coated with a different material. Moreover, the substrate surface can contain thereon an adsorbent (for example, cellulose) to which the components of interest are delivered. The most appropriate substrate and substrate-surface materials will depend on the class of materials to be synthesized and the selection in any given case will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art.

In some embodiments, a predefined region on the substrate and, therefore, the area upon which each distinct material is synthesized is less than about 25 cm², less than 10 cm², less than 5 cm², less than 1 cm², less than 1 mm², and less than 0.5 mm². In some preferred embodiments, the regions have an area less than about 10,000 μm², less than 1,000 μm², less than 100 μm², and less than 10 μm².

In preferred embodiments, a single substrate has at least 10 different materials and, more preferably, at least 100 different materials synthesized thereon. In even more preferred embodiments, a single substrate has more than 10³, 10⁴, 10⁵, 10⁶, or more materials synthesized thereon. In some embodiments, the delivery process is repeated to provide materials with as few as two components, although the process can be readily adapted to form materials having 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or more components therein. The density of regions per unit area will be greater than 0.04 regions/cm², greater than 0.1 regions/cm², greater than 1 region/cm², greater than 10 regions/cm², and greater than 100 regions/cm². In some preferred embodiments, the density of regions per unit area will be greater than 1,000 regions/cm², greater than 10,000 regions/cm², greater than 100,000 regions/cm², and greater than 10,000,000 regions/cm².

In other embodiments, the substrate can be a series of small beads or pellets (hereinafter “beads”). The number of beads used will depend on the number of materials to be synthesized and can range anywhere from 2 to an infinite number of beads. In this embodiment, each of the beads is uniformly coated with the component(s) of interest and, thereafter, can be reacted. This is readily done, for example, by using a series of vessels each of which contains a solution of a particular component. The beads are equally divided into groups corresponding to the number of components used to generate the array of resulting materials. Each group of beads is then added to one of the vessels wherein a coating of one of the components in solution forms on the surface of each bead. The beads are then pooled together into one group and heated to produce a dry component layer on the surface of each of the beads. The process is repeated several times to generate an array of different components on each of the beads. Once the components of interest have been deposited on the beads, the beads can be reacted to form an array of materials. All of the beads may or may not be reacted under the same reaction conditions. To determine the history of the components deposited on a particular bead, mass spectroscopic techniques can be used. Alternatively, each bead can have a tag which indicates the history of components deposited thereon as well as their stoichiometries. The tag can be, for example, a binary tag etched into the surface of the bead so that it can be read using spectroscopic techniques. As with the single substrate having an array of materials thereon, each of the individual beads or pellets can be screened for resulting materials having useful properties.

More particularly, if an array of resulting materials is to be generated based on Bi, Cu, Ca and Sr using a series of beads as the substrate, for example, four vessels containing aqueous solutions of Bi(NO₃)₃, CuO₃)₃, Ca(NO₃)₃ and Sr(NO₃)₃ would be employed. A portion of the beads are added to the vessel containing the Bi(NO₃)₃ solution; a portion of the beads are added to the Cu(NO₃)₃ solution; a portion of the beads are added to the vessel containing the Ca(NO₃)₃ solution; and, finally, a portion of the beads are added to the vessel containing the Sr(NO₃)₃ solution. Once the beads are uniformly coated with the component contained in the vessel, the beads are removed from the vessel, dried, etched, pooled together into one group and, thereafter, subsequently divided and added to the vessels containing the foregoing components of interest. The process is optionally repeated, with additional components, to form a vast array of components on each of the beads. It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that a number of variations can be made to this technique to generate a vast array of beads containing a vast array of components thereon. For example, some of the beads can be coated with only two components, others with more than two components. Additionally, some of the beads can be coated two or more times with the same component, whereas other beads are coated a single time with a given component.

As previously explained, the substrate is preferably flat, but may take on a variety of alternative surface configurations. Regardless of the configuration of the substrate surface, it is imperative that the components in the individual predefined regions be prevented from moving to adjacent predefined regions. Most simply, this can be ensured by leaving a sufficient amount of space between the regions on the substrate so that the various components cannot interdiffuse between predefined regions. Moreover, this can be ensured by providing an appropriate barrier between the various predefined regions on the substrate. A mechanical device or physical structure can be used to define the various regions on the substrate. For example, a wall or other physical bather can be used to prevent the components in the individual predefined regions from moving to adjacent predefined regions. Alternatively, a dimple or other recess can be used to prevent the components in the individual predefined regions from moving to adjacent predefined regions.

If the substrate used in the present invention is to contain dimples or other recesses, the dimples must be sufficiently small to allow close packing on the substrate. Preferably, the dimples will be less than 1 mm in diameter, preferably less than 0.5 mm in diameter, more preferably less than 10,000 μm in diameter, even more preferably less than 100 μm in diameter, and still more preferably less than 25 μm in diameter.

Dimples having these characteristics can be produced by a variety of techniques including laser, pressing, or etching techniques. A suitable dimpled substrate surface can, for example, be provided by pressing the substrate with an imprinted “master” such as those commonly used to prepare compact optical disks. In addition, an isotropic or anisotropic etching technique employing photolithography can be employed. In such techniques, a mask is used to define the reaction regions on the substrate. After the substrate is irradiated through the mask, selected regions of the photoresist are removed to define the arrangement of predefined regions on the substrate. The dimples may be cut into the substrate with standard plasma or wet etching techniques. If the substrate is a glass or silicon material, suitable wet etch materials can include hydrogen fluoride, or other common wet etchants used in the field of semiconductor device fabrication. Suitable plasma etchants commonly used in the semiconductor device fabrication field can also be employed. Such plasma etchants include, for example, mixtures of halogen containing gases and inert gases. Typically, a plasma etch will produce dimples having a depth of less than 10 μm, although depths of up to 50 μm may be obtained under some conditions.

Another method for preparing a suitably dimpled surface employs photochemically etchable glass or polymer sheets. For example, a photochemically etchable glass known as “FOTOFORM” is available from Corning Glass Company (New York). Upon exposure to radiation through a mask, the glass becomes soluble in aqueous solutions. Thereafter, the exposed glass is simply washed with the appropriate solution to form the dimpled surface. With this material, well-defined dimples can be made having aspect ratios of 10 to 1 (depth to diameter) or greater, and depths of up to 0.1 inches. Dimple diameters can be made as small as 25 μm in a 250 μm thick glass layer. Moreover, the dimpled surface can contain thereon an adsorbent (for example, cellulose) to which the components of interest are delivered.

Even when a dimpled surface is employed, it is often important to ensure that the substrate material is not wetted beyond the predefined region parameters. Most simply, this can be ensured by leaving a sufficient amount of space between the regions on the substrate so that the various components cannot interdiffuse between predefined regions. In addition, other techniques can be applied to control the physical interactions that affect wetting, thereby ensuring that the solutions in the individual predefined regions do not wet the surrounding surface and contaminate other predefined regions. Whether or not a liquid droplet will wet a solid surface is governed by three tensions: the surface tension at the liquid-air interface, the interfacial tension at the solid-liquid interface and the surface tension at the solid-air interface. If the sum of the liquid-air and liquid-solid tensions is greater than the solid-air tension, the liquid drop will form a bead (a phenomenon known as “lensing”). If, on the other hand, the sum of the liquid-air and liquid-solid tensions is less than the solid-air tension, the drop will not be confined to a given location, but will instead spread over the surface. Even if the surface tensions are such that the drop will not spread over the surface, the contact or wetting angle (i.e., the angle between the edge of the drop and the solid substrate) may be sufficiently small such that the drop will cover a relatively large area (possibly extending beyond the confines of a given defined region). Further, small wetting angles can lead to formation of a thin (approximately 10 to 20 Å) “precursor film” which spreads away from the liquid bead Larger wetting angles provide “taller” beads that take up less surface area on the substrate and do not form precursor films. Specifically, if the wetting angle is greater than about 90°, a precursor film will not form.

Methods for controlling chemical compositions and, in turn, the local surface free energy of a substrate surface include a variety of techniques apparent to those in the art. Chemical vapor deposition techniques as well as other techniques applied in the fabrication of integrated circuits can be applied to deposit highly uniform layers on selected regions of the substrate surface. If, for example, an aqueous reactant solution is used, the area surface inside the reaction regions may be hydrophilic, while the surface surrounding the predefined regions may be hydrophobic. As such, the surface chemistry can be varied from position to position on the substrate to control the surface free energy and, in turn, the contact angle of the drops of reactant solution. In this manner, an array of predefined regions can be defined on the substrate surface.

Moreover, as previously explained, the components in the individual predefined regions can be prevented from moving to adjacent predefined regions by leaving a sufficient amount of space between the regions on the substrate so that the various components cannot interdiffuse between predefined regions.

IV. Methods For Delivery Of Components

In the delivery systems of the present invention, a small, precisely metered amount of each component is delivered to each predefined region. This may be accomplished using a variety of delivery techniques, either alone or in combination with a variety of physical masking or photolithographic techniques. Delivery techniques which are suitable for use in the methods of the present invention can generally be broken down into those involving the use of thin-film deposition techniques and those involving the use of dispensers.

A. Delivery Using Thin-Film Deposition Techniques

Thin-film deposition techniques in combination with physical masking techniques or photolithographic techniques can be used to deposit thin-films of the various components on predefined regions on the substrate. Such thin-film deposition techniques can generally be broken down into the following four categories: evaporative methods, glow-discharge processes, gas-phase chemical processes, and liquid-phase chemical techniques. Included within these categories are, for example, sputtering techniques, spraying techniques, laser ablation techniques, electron beam or thermal evaporation techniques, ion implantation or doping techniques, chemical vapor deposition techniques, as well as other techniques used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. All of these techniques can be applied to deposit highly uniform layers, i.e., thin-films, of the various components on selected regions on the substrate. Moreover, by adjusting the relative geometries of the masks, the delivery source and/or the substrate, such thin-film deposition techniques can be used to generate uniform gradients at each predefined region on the substrate or, alternatively, over all of the predefined regions on the substrate. For an overview of the various thin-film deposition techniques which can be used in the methods of the present invention, see, for example, Handbook of Thin-Film Deposition Processes and Techniques, Noyes Publication (1988), which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Thin-films of the various components can be deposited on the substrate using evaporative methods in combination with physical masking techniques. Generally, in thermal evaporation or vacuum evaporation methods, the following sequential steps take place: (1) a vapor is generated by boiling or subliming a target material; (2) the vapor is transported from the source to a substrate; and (3) the vapor is condensed to a solid film on the substrate surface. Evaporants, i.e., target materials, which can be used in the evaporative methods cover an extraordinary range of chemical reactivities and vapor pressures and, thus, a wide variety of sources can be used to vaporize the target materials. Such sources include, for example, resistance-heated filaments, electron beams; crucible heated by conduction, radiation or if-inductions; and arcs, exploding wires and lasers. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, thin-film deposition using evaporative methods is carried out using lasers, filaments, electron beams or ion beams as the source. In further preferred embodiments of the present invention, thin-film deposition using evaporative methods is carried out using lasers as the source. In such laser ablation techniques, an excimer or YAG laser, having sufficient power to cause evaporation, is directed through a viewport to a target material held under vacuum. The target material is vaporized, the vapor is transported from the source to a substrate, and the vapor is condensed to a solid, thin-film on the substrate surface. Successive rounds of deposition, through different physical masks, using the foregoing evaporative methods can be used to generate an array of resulting materials on a substrate.

Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) is an evaporative method that can be used to grow epitaxial thin-films. In this method, the films are formed on single-crystal substrates by slowly evaporating the elemental or molecular constituents of the film from separate Knudsen effusion source cells (deep crucibles in furnaces with cooled shrouds) onto substrates held at temperatures appropriate for chemical reaction, epitaxy and re-evaporation of excess reactants. The Knudsen effusion source cells produce atomic or molecular beams of relatively small diameter which are directed at the heated substrate, usually silicon or gallium arsenide. Fast shutters are interposed between the source cells and the substrates. By controlling these shutters, one can grow superlattices with precisely controlled uniformity, lattice match, composition, dopant concentrations, thickness and interfaces down to the level of atomic layers.

In addition to evaporative methods, thin-films of the various components can be deposited on the substrate using glow-discharge processes in combination with physical masking techniques. The most basic and well known of these processes is sputtering, i.e., the ejection of surface atoms from an electrode surface by momentum transfer from bombarding ions to surface atoms. Sputtering or sputter-deposition is a term used by those of skill in the art to cover a variety of processes, all of which can be used in the methods of the present invention. One such process is RF/DC Glow Discharge Plasma Sputtering. In this process, a plasma of energized ions is created by applying a high RF or DC voltage between a cathode and an anode. The energized ions from the plasma bombard the target and eject atoms which are then deposited on a substrate. Ion-Beam Sputtering is another example of a sputtering process which can be used to deposit thin-films of the various components on a substrate. Ion-Beam Sputtering is similar to the foregoing process except the ions are supplied by an ion source and not a plasma. It will be apparent to one of skill in the art that other sputtering techniques (e.g., diode sputtering, reactive sputtering, etc.) and other glow-discharge processes can be used in the methods of the present invention to deposit thin-films on a substrate. Successive rounds of deposition, through different physical masks, using sputtering or other glow-discharge techniques can be used to generate an array of resulting materials on a substrate.

In addition to evaporative methods and sputtering techniques, thin-films of the various components can be deposited on a substrate using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) techniques in combination with physical masking techniques. CVD involves the formation of stable solids by decomposition of gaseous chemicals using heat, plasma, ultraviolet, or other energy source, or a combination of energy sources. Photo-Enhanced CVD, based on activation of the components in the gas or vapor phase by electromagnetic radiation, usually short-wave ultraviolet radiation, and Plasma-Assisted CVD, based on activation of the components in the gas or vapor phase using a plasma, are two particularly useful chemical vapor deposition techniques. Successive rounds of deposition, through different physical masks, using CVD technique can be used to generate an array of resulting materials on a substrate.

In addition to evaporative methods, sputtering and CVD, of the various components can be deposited on a substrate using a number of different mechanical techniques in combination with physical masking techniques. Such mechanical techniques include, for example, spraying, spinning, dipping, draining, flow coating, roller coating, pressure-curtain coating, brushing, etc. Of these, the spray-on and spin-on techniques are particularly useful. Sprayers which can be used to deposit thin-films include, for example, ultrasonic nozzle sprayers, air atomizing nozzle sprayers and atomizing nozzle sprayers. In ultrasonic sprayers, disc-shaped ceramic piezoelectric transducers covert electrical energy into mechanical energy. The transducers receive electrical input in the form of a high-frequency signal from a power supply that acts as a combination oscillator/amplifier. In air atomizing sprayers, the nozzles intermix air and liquid streams to produce a completely atomized spray. In atomizing sprayers, the nozzles use the energy from a pressurized liquid to atomize the liquid and, in turn, produce a spray. Successive rounds of deposition, through different physical masks, using mechanical techniques, such as spraying, can be used to generate an array of resulting materials on a substrate.

In addition to the foregoing techniques, photolithographic techniques of the type known in the semiconductor industry can be used. For an overview of such techniques, see, for example, Sze, VLSI Technology, McGraw-Hill (1983) and Mead, et al., Introduction to VLSI Systems, Addison-Wesley (1980), which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. A number of different photolithographic techniques known to those of skill in the art can be used. In one embodiment, for example, a photoresist is deposited on the substrate surface; the photoresist is selectively exposed, i.e., photolyzed; the photolyzed or exposed photoresist is removed; a component is deposited on the exposed region(s) on the substrate; and the remaining unphotolyzed photoresist is removed. Alternatively, when a negative photoresist is used, the photoresist is deposited on the substrate surface; the photoresist is selectively exposed, i.e., photolyzed; the unphotolyzed photoresist is removed; a reactant is deposited on the exposed region(s) on the substrate; and the remaining photoresist is removed. In another embodiment, a component is deposited on the substrate using, for example, spin-on or spin-coating techniques; a photoresist is deposited on top of the component; the photoresist is selectively exposed, i.e., photolyzed; the photoresist is removed from the exposed region(s); the exposed region(s) are etched to remove the component from that region(s); and the remaining unphotolyzed photoresist is removed. As with the previous embodiment, a negative photoresist can be used in place of the positive photoresist. Such photolithographic techniques can be repeated to produce an array of materials on a substrate.

It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that the foregoing deposition techniques are intended to illustrate, and not restrict, the ways in which the components can be deposited on the substrate in the form of thin-films. Other deposition techniques known to and used by those of skill in the art can also be used.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate the use of the physical masking techniques which can be used in conjunctions with the aforementioned thin-film deposition techniques. More particularly, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the invention disclosed herein in which a substrate 2 is shown in cross-section. The mask 8 can be any of a wide variety of different materials including, for example, polymers, plastics, resins, silicon, metals, inorganic glasses, etc. Other suitable mask materials will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. The mask is brought into close proximity with, imaged on, or brought directly into contact with the substrate surface as shown in FIG. 1. “Openings” in the mask correspond to regions on the substrate where it is desired to deliver a component. The openings in the mask can take on a variety of different sizes and shapes. Typically, the openings are circular, rectangular or square. Alternatively, however, they can be linear such that the components are delivered in a linear fashion from one end of the substrate to the other. This “linear” arrangement facilitates screening or detection in certain instances, such as when thermoelectric materials are being discovered and optimized. Conventional binary masking techniques in which one-half of the mask is exposed at a given time are illustrated hereinbelow. It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art, however, that masking techniques other than conventional binary masking techniques can be used in the methods of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the substrate 2 is provided with regions 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52. Regions 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52 are masked, as shown in FIG. 2B, and component A is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film using, for example, spraying or sputtering techniques, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 2C. Thereafter, the mask is repositioned so that regions 26, 28, 34, 36, 42, 44, 50 and 52 are masked, as shown in FIG. 2D, and component B is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 2E.

As an alternative to repositioning the first mask, a second mask can be used and, in fact, multiple masks are frequently required to generate the desired array of materials. If multiple masking steps are used, alignment of the masks may be performed using conventional alignment techniques in which alignment marks (not shown) are used to accurately overly successive masks with previous patterning steps, or more sophisticated techniques can be used. Moreover, it may be desirable to provide separation between exposed areas to account for alignment tolerances and to ensure separation of reaction sites so as to prevent cross-contamination. In addition, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that the delivery techniques used to deliver the various components to the regions of interest can be varied from component to components, but, in most instances, it will be most practical to use the same deposition technique for each of the components.

After component B has been delivered to the substrate, regions 30, 32, 34, 36, 46, 48, 50 and 52 are masked, as shown in FIG. 2F, using a mask different from that used in the delivery of components A and B. Component C is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 2G. Thereafter, regions 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48 and 52 are masked, as shown in FIG. 2H, and component D is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 2I. Once the components of interest have been delivered to appropriate predefined regions on the substrate, they can be simultaneously reacted using any of a number of different synthetic routes to form an array of at least two materials.

As previously mentioned, masking techniques other than conventional binary masking techniques can be employed with the aforementioned thin-film deposition techniques in the methods of the present invention. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates a masking technique which can be employed to generate an array of materials, each consisting of a combination of three different components, formed from a base group of four different components. In nonbinary techniques, a separate mask is employed for each of the different components. Thus, in this example, four different masks are employed. As shown in FIG. 3A, the substrate 2 is provided with regions 54, 56, 58 and 60. Region 56 is masked, as shown in FIG. 3B, and component A is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film using, for example, spraying or sputtering techniques, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 3C. Thereafter, a second mask is employed to mask region 54, as shown in FIG. 3D, and component B is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 3E. Thereafter, region 58 is masked using a third mask, as shown in FIG. 3F, and component C is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 3G. Finally, a fourth mask is employed to mask region 60, as shown in FIG. 3H, and component D is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 3I. Once the components of interest have been delivered to appropriate predefined regions on the substrate, they can be simultaneously reacted using any of a number of different synthetic routes to form an array of four different materials.

FIG. 4 illustrates another masking technique which can be employed to generate an array of resulting materials, each consisting of a combination of three different components, formed from a base group of six different components. As shown in FIG. 4A, the substrate 2 is provided with regions 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98 and 100. Regions 64, 68, 72, 76, 80, 84, 88, 92, 96 and 100 are masked, as shown in FIG. 4B, and component A is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film using, for example, spraying or sputtering techniques, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 4C. Thereafter, a second mask is employed to mask regions 62, 66, 72, 74, 80, 82, 88, 90, 96 and 98, as shown in FIG. 4D, and component B is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 4E. Thereafter, regions 64, 66, 70, 74, 78, 82, 86, 92, 96, and 100 are masked using a third mask, as shown in FIG. 4F, and component C is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 4G. Thereafter, a fourth mask is employed to mask regions 64, 66, 70, 76, 78, 84, 88, 90, 94 and 98, as shown in FIG. 4H, and component 4D is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 4I. Thereafter, regions 62, 68, 70, 74, 80, 84, 86, 90, 94 and 100 are masked with a fifth mask, as shown in FIG. 4J, and component E is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 4K. Finally, a sixth mask is employed to mask regions 62, 68, 72, 76, 78, 82, 86, 92, 94 and 98, as shown in FIG. 4L, and component F is delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film, with the resulting structure shown in FIG. 4M. Once the components of interest have been delivered to appropriate predefined regions on the substrate, they can be simultaneously reacted using any of a number of different synthetic routes to form an array of 20 different materials.

It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that prior to reacting the foregoing components, an additional component can be delivered to the predefined regions on the substrate in a gradient of stoichiometries, compositions, concentrations and/or thicknesses. For example, once the six components have been delivered to appropriate predefined regions on the substrate, a seventh component can be delivered in a gradient fashion across the entire substrate or across portions of the substrate. The seventh component can, for example, be deposited through an appropriate mask from left to right as a gradient layer ranging from about 100 Å to 1,000 Å in thickness. Thereafter, the reactant components can be simultaneously reacted using any of a number of different synthetic routes to form an array of different materials.

In addition, it will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that alternative masking techniques can be employed to generate an array of materials, each consisting of a combination of 3 or more components, formed from a base group of four or more components. In fact, the present invention provides a general method which can be used to generate combinatorial masking patterns for experiments involving the use of distinct groups of components, wherein the members of each group are related in such a way that it would not be desirable for them to interact with one another. In this method, a vector is used to represent each of the subgroups of components. For example, a subgroup of components, such as the lanthanides, is represented by a vector A_(m)=[A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . A_(m)]=[La, Y, Ce, Lu], wherein m ranges from 1 to p, and p is the total number of members within the subgroup. It should be noted that the components can be placed in any order. Moreover, if a particular component of a subgroup is present at different stoichiometries, each of the different stoichiometries would be represented in the vector (e.g., A_(1.2) would correspond to a different stoichiometry than A_(1.1)).

Once each of the subgroup of components is represented by a vector, a dyad of vectors is formed. For example, if there were two subgroups of components, e.g., subgroup A and subgroup B, the vector representing the A subgroup of components would be written A_(m)=[A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . A_(m)], and the vector representing the B subgroup of components would be written B_(n)=[B₁, B₂, B₃, . . . B_(n),]. A dyad of these two vectors would be written A_(m)B_(n). This dyad is equal to the tensor of second order illustrated below.

$\quad\begin{bmatrix} {A_{1}B_{1}} & {A_{1}B_{2}\mspace{14mu}\ldots\mspace{14mu} A_{1}B_{n}} \\ {A_{2}B_{1}} & {A_{2}B_{2}\mspace{14mu}\ldots\mspace{14mu} A_{2}B_{n}} \\ {A_{m}B_{1}} & {A_{m}B_{2}\mspace{14mu}\ldots\mspace{14mu} A_{m}B_{n}} \end{bmatrix}$

The dyad of vectors A_(m) and B_(n) results in producing all of the combinations between the components in subgroup A and the components in subgroup B. If the above dyad is written in vector form, i.e., A_(m)B_(n)=[A₁B₁, A₁B₂, . . . A₂B_(n), A₂B₁, A₂B₂, . . . A₂B_(n), A_(m)B₁, A_(m)B₂, . . . A_(m)B_(n)], and another dyad is formed between this vector and a vector C_(k)=[C₁, C₂, . . . C_(k)], representing subgroup C, then the following matrix containing every ternary combination between subgroups A, B and C is formed.

$\quad\begin{bmatrix} {A_{1}B_{1}C_{1}} & {A_{1}B_{1}C_{2\;}\mspace{14mu}\ldots\mspace{14mu} A_{1}B_{1}C_{k}} \\ {A_{1}B_{2}C_{1}} & {A_{1}B_{2}C_{2}\mspace{20mu}\ldots\mspace{14mu} A_{1}B_{2}C_{k}} \\ {A_{1}B_{n}C_{1}} & {A_{1}B_{n}C_{2}\mspace{20mu}\ldots\mspace{14mu} A_{1}B_{n}C_{k}} \\  \downarrow & \; \\ {A_{m}B_{n}C_{1}} & {A_{m}B_{n}C_{2}\mspace{14mu}\ldots\mspace{14mu} A_{m}B_{n}C_{k}} \end{bmatrix}$

As such, given subgroups A_(m), B_(n), C_(k)D_(j), . . . , all of the combinations using one component from each group can be generated in an array format using the following method:

A. In the array, each subgroup will either be deposited along a row or along a column of the array. Therefore, the subgroups which correspond to the rows and the subgroups which correspond to the columns must be selected. The choice of subgroups will not alter the number of sites in the array, but it will affect the shape of the army. For example, either a 4×4 array or a 16×1 array can be created without altering the total number of sites in the array. Typically, the choice of geometry will depend on the configuration available for the library.

B. The rest of the method involves forming dyads within the Row cluster and Column cluster as illustrated above with subgroups A, B, and C. It should be noted that every dyad in array form is converted to a vector form before proceeding to form the next dyad. There will be a point where only one vector will be present in each of the clusters. These vectors can be designated the Row and Column vectors, respectively. When a dyad is formed between the Row and Column vectors, the resulting array is the final format of the combinatorial library.

C. The order of components within any of the vectors or arrays does not affect the result, but it does alter the masking patterns needed to generate the same result. If the final array of combinations is arranged as illustrated in the above example using subgroups A, B and C, then only masks with bars along columns or rows will be needed to create a combinatorial library.

In non-mathematical terms, choosing subgroups requires that all of the elements in a subgroup be deposited side by side across either the rows or the columns of the library. With a group of 4 elements, for example, the array would be subdivided into quadrants along either the rows or columns and then each component would be deposited in one of the quadrants. If the rows or columns were already subdivided into let us say thirds, then each of those thirds would be subdivided into quadrants and all 4 components would be deposited evenly across each of the three larger subdivisions.

It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that the foregoing method can be used to generate combinatorial masking patterns for any experiment, given a set of predefined components.

B. Delivery Using a Dispenser

In addition to the foregoing delivery techniques, dispensers can be utilized to generate diverse combinations of components in the form of droplets or powder on a single substrate. As explained above, commercially available micropipetting apparatus can be adapted to dispense droplet volumes of 5 nanoliters or smaller from a capillary. Such droplets can fit within a predefined region having a diameter of 300 μm or less when a nonwetting mask is employed. In some embodiments, the micropipette is accurately and precisely positioned above the predefined region, as described below, before the component solution is deposited.

In a different preferred embodiment, the present invention employs a solution depositing apparatus that resembles devices commonly employed in the ink-jet printing field. Such ink-jet dispensers include, for example, the pulse pressure type, the bubble jet type and the slit jet type. In an ink-jet dispenser of the pulse pressure type, the printing ink is jetted from a nozzle according to a change in pressure applied by a piezoelectric device. In an ink-jet dispenser of the bubble jet type, bubbles are generated with heat generated with a resistance device embedded in a nozzle, and printing ink is jetted by using the force due to the expansion of a bubble. In an ink-jet dispenser of the slit jet type, printing ink is filled within a slit-like orifice wherein recording electrodes are aligned in correspondence to pixels, and a DC voltage pulse is applied between a recording electrode and a counter electrode arranged behind a recording paper. In this system, the printing ink around the top of the record electrode is charged electrically so that the ink is ejected towards the recording paper with an electrostatic force to record a dot on the paper.

Such ink-jet printers can be used with minor modification by simply substituting a component containing solution or component containing powder for the ink. For example, Wong, et al., European Patent Application 260 965, incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, describes the use of a pulse pressure type ink-jet printer to apply an antibody to a solid matrix. In the process, a solution containing the antibody is forced through a small bore nozzle that is vibrating in a manner that fragments the solution into discrete droplets. The droplets are subsequently charged by passing through an electric field and then deflected onto the matrix material.

For illustrative purposes, a conventional ink drop printer of the pulse pressure type includes a reservoir in which ink is held under pressure. The ink reservoir feeds a pipe which is connected to a nozzle. An electromechanical transducer is employed to vibrate the nozzle at some suitably high frequency. The actual structure of the nozzle may have a number of different constructions, including a drawn glass tube which is vibrated by an external transducer, or a metal tube vibrated by an external transducer (e.g., a piezoelectric crystal), or a magnetostrictive metal tube which is magnetostrictively vibrated. The ink accordingly is ejected from the nozzle in a stream which shortly thereafter breaks into individual drops. An electrode may be present near the nozzle to impart a charge to the droplets.

A schematic drawing of an ink drop dispenser of the pulse pressure type (such as is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,281,860 and 4,121,222, which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes) which may be employed in the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. This apparatus comprises a reservoir 210 which contains a solution under pressure. Tubing 212 is connected to the reservoir 210 and terminates in a metal nozzle 242. Nozzle 242 is disposed within a hole provided in piezoelectric crystal 240. The end of the metal tube and of the piezoelectric crystal are made to coincide. The tubing and the piezoelectric crystal are soldered together to form a permanent waterproof attachment. The coincident ends of the crystal and the tubing are covered with a washer 244 which is termed an orifice washer. This washer has an opening 246 drilled therethrough through which the solution is emitted under pressure. A source of oscillations 218 is connected between the outside of the metal tubing 242 and the outside of the piezoelectric crystal 240. The construction is such that hermetic sealing can be employed which protects against electrochemical and atmospheric attack of the components.

The piezoelectric crystal 240 is vibrated substantially at the frequency of the source of oscillations causing the tubing and nozzle to vibrate whereby the solution stream breaks down into droplets 246. A signal source 224 which is synchronized by the source of oscillations is connected between the nozzle and the charging cylinder 226. As a result, each of the drops, which should be substantially the same mass, receives a charge, the amplitude of which is determined by the amplitude of the signal applied from the source 224 and the charging cylinder 226.

The charged drops, after passing through the charging cylinder, pass into an electric field which is established between two plates respectively 230 and 232 which are connected to a field potential source 234. As a result of the action between the field and the charge of each drop, the drops are deflected from their center line path between the plates in accordance with the charge which they carry. Thus, when they fall on an optionally moving writing medium 236, a deposition pattern occurs on the writing medium representative of the information in the signals.

Although the ink-jet printer of the pulse pressure type has been described in greater detail herein for purposes of illustration, it will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that ink-jet printers of the bubble jet type and the slit jet type can also be used, with only minor modifications, to deliver reactant components to predefined regions on the substrate. Moreover, although the foregoing discussion refers to a single nozzle, in a preferred embodiment, ink-jet printers having multiple nozzles are used to deliver multiple reactant components to a single predefined region on the substrate or, alternatively, to multiple predefined regions on the substrate. In addition, as improvements are made in field of ink-jet printers, such improvements can be used in the methods of the present invention.

In other embodiments, the component solutions can be delivered from a reservoir to the substrate by an electrophoretic pump. In such a device, a thin capillary connects a reservoir of the reactant with the nozzle of the dispenser. At both ends of the capillary, electrodes are present to provide a potential difference. As is known in the art, the speed at which a chemical species travels in a potential gradient of an electrophoretic medium is governed by a variety of physical properties, including the charge density, size, and shape of the species being transported, as well as the physical and chemical properties of the transport medium itself. Under the proper conditions of potential gradient, capillary dimensions, and transport medium rheology, a hydrodynamic flow will be set up within the capillary. Thus, bulk fluid containing the reactant of interest can be pumped from a reservoir to the substrate. By adjusting the appropriate position of the substrate with respect to the electrophoretic pump nozzle, the reactant solution can be precisely delivered to predefined regions on the substrate.

Using the aforementioned dispenser systems, the components can be delivered to predefined regions on the substrate either sequentially or simultaneously. In a presently preferred embodiment, the components are simultaneously delivered to either a single predefined region on the substrate or, alternatively, to multiple predefined regions on the substrate. For example, using an ink-jet dispenser having two nozzles, two different components can be simultaneously delivered to a single predefined region on the substrate. Alternatively, using this same ink-jet dispenser, a component can be simultaneously delivered to two different predefined regions on the substrate. In this instance, the same component or, alternatively, two different components can be delivered. If the same reactant is delivered to both of the predefined regions, it can be delivered in either the same or different amounts. Similarly, using an ink-jet dispenser having eight nozzles, for example, eight different components can be simultaneously delivered to a single predefined region on the substrate or, alternatively, eight reactants (either the same or different) can be simultaneously delivered to eight different predefined regions on the substrate.

VI. Multi-Target, Thin-Film Deposition Systems

The reaction systems used in carrying out the previously described thin-film deposition techniques can vary widely and will depend, in large part, on which thin-film deposition technique is being employed. The present invention provides a number of different multi-target, thin-film deposition systems which can be used in carrylng out the methods of the present invention. Many embodiments and variations of the systems disclosed herein will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure.

A. A Sputtering System with a Carrousel

An example of an eight RF magnetron sputtering gun system which can be employed in the methods of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6. This system comprises eight RF magnetron sputtering guns 110, each of which contains a reactant component of interest. The eight RF magnetron sputtering guns are located about 2 to about 5 inches above a disk 112 containing thereon eight masking patterns 114 as well as eight film-thickness monitors 116. In this system, the eight RF magnetron sputtering guns as well as the disk are fixed. The substrate 118, however, is coupled to a substrate manipulator 120 which is capable of linear and rotational motion and which engages the substrate with the particular mask of interest so that the substrate is in contact with the mask when the sputtering begins. Combinations of the eight components are generated on the substrate by the sequential deposition of each component through its respective mask. This entire system is used in vacuo.

It is also possible to give the disk 112, which contains thereon the eight masking patters 114, rotational motion, thereby providing the flexibility needed to match any of the 8 components with any of the eight masking patterns 114. With this flexibility, it would be advantageous to increase the capacity of the disk 112 to more than eight masking patterns 114 so that a component can be deposited through multiple masking patterns. This is particularly useful when different film thicknesses of a given component are needed at different sites within the library. In addition, this system can be converted from a polar coordinate system to a X-Y coordinate system wherein the sputtering guns, the masks and the substrate are in a rectangular configuration.

B. A Sputtering System with a Cassette

An alternative design for a combinatorial sputtering system is illustrated in FIG. 7. This system comprises eight RF magnetron sputtering guns 110, each of which contains a component of interest, inserted from the side of the reaction chamber in a complete circle. The substrate is attached to a shaft 130 having linear and rotational motion. As such, during deposition, the substrate can be translated and rotated to face any one of the eight RF magnetron sputtering guns 110. The substrate is located within a substrate holder 132 which, in addition to holding the substrate, also locks one secondary masking pattern 134 firmly above the substrate 118 (the primary mask is the grid which defines the size and density of the reactions sites on the substrate and which is held fixed during the entire experiment). After deposition of a component, a manipulator 138 is used to remove the secondary mask, to place it in a cassette 140, to remove the next desired secondary mask, and to place this mask above the substrate holder 132. The locking mechanism on the substrate holder will assure the alignment of the mask preferably within 25 μm. (It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that there are multiple schemes and designs for locking mechanisms which will align a substrate to a mask with an accuracy better than 25 μm.) In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 7, the manipulator 138 has linear motion in the vertical direction, and the cassette 140 has linear motion in the horizontal direction. With this format, the manipulator 138 can be used to translate any of the secondary masks in the cassette 140. This design applies preferably to the use of 2 masks, more preferably to the use of 8 masks, even more preferably to the use of 20 masks, and still more preferably to the use of more than 20 masks. Using this system, all of the components of interest can be deposited through distinct masking patterns, thereby creating a combinatorial library of layered thin-film precursors.

C. A Pulsed Laser Deposition System with a Cassette

A system related to the one described above is that of the pulsed laser deposition system having a cassette exchange mechanism. This design is illustrated in FIG. 8. The targets are placed in a carrousel wheel which can hold at least 4 targets and, more preferably, at least 8 targets. An alternative approach is to place each target on a different face of a polygon 142 (see, FIG. 8). If, for example, the polygon is a decagon, then ten targets can be mounted upon it. With either design, the goal is to be able to rapidly move a target in front of a laser beam 144 for a specific period of time, and then change the target almost instantaneously. In the carrousel embodiment, the targets can be quickly rotated to intersect the laser beam 144. In the polygon embodiment, the targets can be interchanged by spinning the desired polygon face to the front where the laser beam 144 is fixed.

In comparison to sputtering thin-film deposition techniques, pulsed laser thin-film deposition techniques provide greater flexibility and speed in terms of interchanging the targets, but have reduced uniformity over areas greater than 1 cm². However, several techniques are currently being used with lasers to yield uniform surfaces of up to 100 cm². The first and most common of such techniques is to move the substrate in a planetary motion during the deposition of a component. The planetary motion insures that the plume of material ejected by the laser is spread evenly throughout the substrate. The cost of moving the substrate during deposition is a reduction in speed since, in effect, many 1 cm² depositions are required to evenly cover a circle of, for example, 5 cm in diameter.

Another approach to achieving uniformity over large areas during the deposition of thin-films is a technique that uses a rastered laser beam. In this design illustrated in FIG. 8, a programmable mirror 146 allows the laser beam to be rastered over the entire diameter of the ablation target, i.e., the component. By varying the speed of the rastering laser beam as a function of position, the ablation plume can be generated for longer periods of time near the outer edge of the substrate to yield uniform films. This technique also has the advantage of always producing a consistent plume as a function of time.

For the system illustrated in FIG. 8, the substrate is mounted on a shaft 130 which can be rotated and translated vertically. Moreover, in addition to using a rastering laser beam, each ablation target, i.e., component, rotates so as to expose the entire surface of the target to the laser beam. This improves the uniformity of the deposition for areas greater than 1 square inch. As described above with respect to the system illustrated in FIG. 7, the substrate is placed within a sample holder 132, and a secondary mask 134 is attached to the substrate holder 132 above the substrate. The secondary mask 134 is aligned correctly with the substrate through the use of a locking mechanism. The accuracy of the locking mechanism should preferably be better than 25 μm. In between deposition steps, a mask is interchanged, without breaking the vacuum, with one of the other secondary masks held in the cassette within the reaction chamber. The general procedure used to exchange the masks was described above.

D. A Pulsed Laser Deposition System with a Sliding & Shutter Masking System

When libraries containing more than 1,000 materials are structured to only contain ternary, quaternary and quintenary materials, for example, the number of different masking steps involved can easily reach 30. Moreover, each library will likely require the use of some original masking patterns. Thus, it would be advantageous to have a system which has the ability to create one of hundreds of different masking patterns in front of a substrate, each within a few seconds. Such a system is illustrated in FIG. 9.

In this design, the targets and laser can be configured as illustrated in FIG. 9. The substrate in a substrate holder 132 is attached to a shaft 130 which has translation capabilities in the X, Y and Z directions as well as rotational capabilities. The substrate is placed below a fixed plate with an aperture 150 which will preferably be greater than 1 cm², more preferably greater than 6 cm², and most preferably greater than 50 cm². Above the aperture plate 150 is a flat sheet 152 containing thereon multiple masks. This sheet 152 is attached to a manipulator or shaft 130 which can translate any mask directly over the aperture plate 150. Typically, there is little or no space between the aperture plate 150 and the sheet 152.

One of the masks on the sheet 152 will consist in its most general form of nine squares, each of which is approximately of the same dimensions as the aperture in the aperture plate 150. Only the middle square is empty. This mask is shown in FIG. 10A. When attached to a flat sheet which can be translated in the X and Y directions, this mask effectively becomes an X/Y shutter mask. As such, it can create different size squares, rectangles, ‘L’ shapes and bars in either the X or Y directions. Given that the substrate can also translate in the X and Y directions, a two shutter mechanism is formed in this configuration. It can readily be seen by those skilled in the art that there are other arrangements (such as an ‘L’ shaped mask instead of a square mask) which can create a two shutter system that performs as the one described herein.

Using the X/Y shutter mask and substrate combination, hundreds of different masking configurations can be generated, each within a few seconds. For example, the 5 masking patterns set forth in FIG. 10B create 5 separate columns along a substrate for 5 different reactant components. This identical design can be executed with the X/Y shutter mask by first sliding the mask to the right to form an opening ⅕ the size of the substrate, with the right side of the aperture plate (as shown in the first mask in FIG. 10B), and then moving the substrate to the left after every deposition. Thus, in the same number of deposition steps, i.e., 5, an identical pattern is created without the need to exchange masks. Moreover, when a thickness gradient of one component across the library is desired, the X/Y shutter can, for example, be translated at a constant speed from right to left as shown in FIG. 10C.

The foregoing X/Y shutter system can advantageously be used in combination with more traditional binary masking techniques. For example, when the mask set forth in FIG. 10D is translated across the substrate, 5 different components are deposited in each half of the substrate. However, with the X/Y shutter system, twice the number of steps are needed. Therefore, it is frequently advantageous to incorporate binary masks in addition to the X/Y shutter on the flat sheet 152 which sits directly above the aperture plate 150. An example of such a sheet configuration is illustrated in FIG. 11. Notice that by rotating the substrate 90°, it is possible to apply the masking patterns in both the X and Y directions which reduces the number of necessary masks by half. If the sheet is fixed in one-dimension (e.g., the X direction), the substrate must be given a rotational degree of freedom so that it can be rotated 90°.

In addition to being used in combination with traditional binary masking techniques, the X/Y shutter system can be advantageously used in combination with other masking techniques. In particular, it can be used with the previously described method for generating masking strategies for experiments involving the use of distinct groups of components, wherein the members of each group are related in such a way that it would not be desirable for them to interact with one another. The following sets forth an example of how this can be carried out.

In this example, there are three groups of components, i.e., group 8, group 5 and group 3, each of which contains 8, 5, and 3 elements, respectively. Moreover, group 8 has 5 settings per element, group 5 has 3 settings per element, and group 3 has 1 setting per element. As such, the number of reaction sites on the array would be 1800 or (8×5)×(5×3)×(3×1). To prepare an array having 1800 reaction sites, one could use a rectangular substrate having 40 rows running across the width of the substrate, and 45 columns running down the length of the substrate. Group 8, having 8 elements and 5 settings per element, would be deposited along the rows, whereas group 5, having 5 elements and 3 settings per element, and group 3, having 3 elements and 1 setting per element, would be deposited along the columns. Using the laser system described in FIG. 9 and assuming the deposition time is about 5 Å/s for a 1″×1″ area and the deposition thickness for each layer is 2 Å, the number of masking steps required would be 34 for a total deposition time of 23 minutes. This value does not take into account the transfer time needed to exchange the 34 masks. Using the X/Y shutter system described above, 90 steps would be required for a total deposition time of 1 hour. However, using two masks in combination with the X/Y shutter system, the number of masking steps required would be reduced to 50 and the deposition time would be reduced to 33 minutes.

The foregoing is an example of the many different multi-target, thin-film deposition systems which can be used in carrying out the methods of the present invention. Such systems provide general strategies and designs for the systems used to generate combinatorial libraries of layered thin-film materials. It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that the foregoing systems can be modified and optimized in minor ways to work with any of the different thin-film deposition techniques.

VII. Moving the Dispenser with Respect to the Substrate

To deposit droplets consistently at precisely specified regions using a dispenser, a frame of reference common to the delivery instrument and the substrate is required. In other words, the reference coordinates of the instrument must be accurately mapped onto the reference coordinates of the substrate. Ideally, only two reference points on the substrate are required to completely map the array of predefined regions. The dispenser instrument locates these reference points and then adjust its internal reference coordinates to provide the necessary mapping. After this, the dispenser can move a particular distance in a particular direction and be positioned directly over a known region. Of course, the dispenser instrument must provide precisely repeatable movements. Further, the individual regions of the array must not move with respect to the reference marks on the substrate after the reference marks have been formed. Unfortunately, pressing or other mechanical operations commonly encountered during fabrication and use of a substrate may warp the substrate such that the correspondence between the reference marks and the predefined regions is altered.

To allow for this possibility, a substrate containing both “global” and “local” reference marks is preferably employed. In preferred embodiments, only two global reference marks are conveniently located on the substrate to define the initial frame of reference. When these points are located, the dispenser instrument has an approximate map of the substrate and the predefined regions therein. To assist in locating the exact position of the regions, the substrate is further subdivided into local frames of reference. Thus, in an initial, “course” adjustment, the dispenser is positioned within one of the local frames of reference. Once in the local region, the dispensing instrument looks for local reference marks to define further a local frame of reference. From these, the dispenser moves exactly to the predefined region where the component is to be deposited. In this manner, the effects of warpage or other deformation can be minimized. The number of local reference marks is determined by the amount of deformation expected in the substrate. If the substrate is sufficiently rigid so that little or no deformation will occur, very few local reference marks are required. If substantial deformation is expected, however, more local reference marks are required.

Starting at a single reference point, the micropipette or other dispenser is translated from one predefined region to another predefined region on the substrate by a correct distance in the correct direction (this is the “dead reckoning” navigational technique). Thus, the dispenser can move from region to region, dispensing correctly metered amounts of components. In order to initially locate the reference point and align the dispenser directly over it, a vision or blind system can be employed. In a vision system, a camera is rigidly mounted to the dispenser nozzle. When the camera locates the reference point(s), the dispenser is known to be a fixed distance and direction away from the point, and a frame of reference is established. Blind systems locate the reference point(s) by capacitive, resistive, or optical techniques, for example. In one example of an optical technique, a laser beam is transmitted through or reflected from the substrate. When the beam encounters a reference mark, a change in light intensity is detected by a sensor. Capacitive and resistive techniques are similarly applied. A sensor registers a change in capacitance or resistivity when a reference point is encountered.

For purposes of this invention, the spacing between the individual regions will vary in accordance with the size of the regions used. For example, if a 1 mm² region is used, the spacing between the individual regions will preferably be on the order of 1 mm or less. If, for example, a 10 μm² region is used, the spacing between the individual regions will preferably be on the order of 10 μm or less. Further, the angular relation between the cells is preferably consistent, to within 0.1 degrees. Of course, the photolithographic or other process used to define the arrangement of cells will accurately define the angle and spacing. However, in subsequent processes (e.g., pressing processes), the angle can be distorted. Thus, in some embodiments, it may be necessary to employ “local” reference points throughout the array.

Translational mechanisms capable of moving with the desired precision are preferably equipped with position feedback mechanisms (i.e., encoders) of the type used in devices for semiconductor device manufacturing and testing. Such mechanisms will preferably be closed loop systems with insignificant backlash and hysteresis. In preferred embodiments, the translation mechanism will have a high resolution, i.e., greater than five motor ticks per encoder count. Further, the electro-mechanical mechanism will preferably have a high repeatability relative to the region diameter travel distance (preferably, ±1-5 μm).

To deposit a drop of component solution on the substrate accurately, the dispenser nozzle must be placed a correct distance above the surface. The dispenser tip preferably should be located about 0.1 cm to about 6 cm above the substrate surface when the drop is released. The degree of control necessary to achieve such accuracy can be attained with a repeatable high-resolution translation mechanism of the type described above. In one embodiment, the height above the substrate is determined by moving the dispenser toward the substrate in small increments, until the dispenser tip touches the substrate. At this point, the dispenser is moved away from the surface a fixed number of increments which corresponds to a specific distance. From there, the drop is released to the cell below. Preferably, the increments in which the dispenser moves will vary in accordance with the size of the regions used.

In an alternative embodiment, the dispenser nozzle is encircled by a sheath that rigidly extends a fixed distance beyond the dispenser tip. Preferably, this distance corresponds to the distance at which the solution drop will fall when delivered to the selected predefined region. Thus, when the sheath contacts the substrate surface, the movement of the dispenser is halted and the drop is released. It is not necessary in this embodiment to move the dispenser back, away from the substrate, after contact is made. In this embodiment, as well as the previous embodiment, the point of contact with the surface can be determined by a variety of techniques such as by monitoring the capacitance or resistance between the tip of the dispenser (or sheath) and the substrate below. A rapid change in either of these properties is observed upon contact with the surface.

To this point, the dispenser delivery system has been described only in terms of translational movements. However, other systems may also be employed. In one embodiment, the dispenser is aligned with respect to the region of interest by a system analogous to that employed in magnetic and optical storage media fields. For example, the region in which component is to be deposited is identified by a track and sector location on a disk substrate. The dispenser is then moved to the appropriate track while the disk substrate rotates. When the appropriate cell is positioned below the dispenser (as referenced by the appropriate sector on the track), a droplet of component solution is released.

Control of the droplet size may be accomplished by various techniques known to those of skill in the art. For example, in one embodiment, a conventional micropipetting instrument is adapted to dispense droplets of five nanoliters or smaller from a capillary. Such droplets fit within regions having diameters of 300 μm or less when a nonwetting mask is employed.

Although the above embodiments have been directed to systems employing liquid droplets, minuscule aliquots of each test substance can also be delivered to the predefined region as powders or miniature pellets. Pellets can be formed, for example, from the compound or component of interest and one or more kinds of inert binding material. The composition of such binders and methods for the preparation of such “pellets” will be apparent to those of skill in the art. Such “mini-pellets” will be compatible with a wide variety of test substances, stable for long periods of time and suitable for easy withdrawal from the storage vessel and dispensing.

VI. Synthetic Routes for Reacting the Array of Components

Once the array of components has been delivered to predefined regions on the substrate, the components can be simultaneously reacted using a number of different synthetic routes. The components can be reacted using, for example, solution based synthesis techniques, photochemical techniques, polymerization techniques, template directed synthesis techniques, epitaxial growth techniques, or by the sol-gel process, by thermal, infrared or microwave heating, by calcination, sintering or annealing, by hydrothermal methods, by flux methods, by crystallization through vaporization of solvent, etc. Other useful synthesis techniques will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Moreover, the most appropriate synthetic route will depend on the class of materials to be synthesized, and the selection in any given case will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. In addition, it will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that, if necessary, the components can be mixed prior to being reacted using, for example, ultrasonic techniques, mechanical techniques, etc. Such techniques can be applied directly to a given predefined region on the substrate or, alternatively, to all of the predefined regions on the substrate in a simultaneous fashion (e.g., the substrate can be mechanically moved in a manner such that the components are effectively mixed).

Traditional routes to solid-state synthesis involve the sintering of solid components. The standard method used to synthesize superconductors, for example, is to grind several metal-oxide powders together, compress the mixture and, thereafter, bake at a temperature ranging from 800° C. to about 1000° C. The elements in the powder mixture sinter, i.e., they react chemically to form new compounds and fuse into a solid, without passing through the liquid or gaseous phase. Gaseous elements, such as oxygen, can be taken up during sintering or, alternatively, in a subsequent step, and the pressure of the system can be varied during the synthesis process. Unfortunately, using traditional sintering techniques, reaction rates are limited by the slow diffusion of atoms or ions through solid reactants, intermediates and products. Moreover, high temperatures are frequently required to accelerate diffusion and to thermodynamically drive the formation of a stable phase.

In contrast to such traditional routes, in the present invention, new routes to solid-synthesis focus on the synthesis of compounds at lower temperatures. It has been found that reaction rates can be increased at lower temperatures by drastically shortening the distance required for diffusion of the components and by increasing the surface to volume ratio. This can be achieved by depositing the components on the substrate in the form of very thin-films or, alternatively, by using solution based synthesis techniques wherein the components are delivered to the substrate in the form of a solution. Moreover, when the synthesis is to be carried out at a temperature ranging from about 200° C. to about 600° C., a molten salt can be employed to dissolve the components. This technique is generally referred to as the flux method. Similarly, in a hydrothermal method, water or other polar solvent containing a soluble inorganic salt is employed to dissolve the components. The hydrothermal method is usually carried out under pressure and at a temperature ranging from about 100° C. to about 400° C. Moreover, using the various synthetic routes of the present invention, the array of components can be pressurized or depressurized under an inert atmosphere, oxygen or other gas. In addition, in the synthetic routes of the present invention, various regions on the substrate can be exposed to different heat histories using, for example, laser thermolysis, wherein bursts of energy of a predetermined duration and intensity are delivered to target regions on the substrate.

In fact, in another embodiment of the present invention, the predefined regions on a substrate can be subjected to different temperatures by independently heating the predefined regions using a thin-film resistive element. In this embodiment, a resistive element, such as tungsten, is deposited on a clean substrate using any one of the previously described thin-film deposition techniques. The resistive element is deposited, for example, in strips along the rows or columns of predefined regions. Each strip is connected to an electrical lead which is attached to a power supply. The temperature of the predefined regions can be regulated by varying the power input to a given strip. In general, any conductive material having a melting point higher than the temperature at which the reaction is to be carried out can be used as the resistive element. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, metals, alloys, and ceramics. Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to, indium doped tin oxide (ITO), tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, platinum, copper-nickel alloys, platinum and rhodium alloys, aluminum-nickel alloys, etc.

In some instances, it may be necessary to coat the resistive element with a protective coating so as to prevent interdiffusion between the resistive element and the array of components. The protective coating is applied in the form of a thin-film material using the previously described thin-film deposition techniques. The protective coating is made from a material which effectively conducts heat and which is inert at the temperature at which the reaction is to be carried out. Examples of suitable materials include, but are not limited to, MgO, SrTiO₃, BaTiO₃, Al₂O₃ and other semiconductor and ceramic materials which are good conductors and inert.

Once the resistive element has been deposited, the array of materials is generated using thin-film deposition techniques in combination with masking techniques. An example of this approach is illustrated in FIG. 12. In this example, a library of compounds was generated subsequent to the deposition of thin-film resistive strips. As illustrated in FIG. 12, a resistive element occupies an entire column of predefined regions on the substrate. It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art, however, that the resistive element can be deposited in any pattern and, thus, deposition strategies can be designed so that the resistive element covers different predefined regions on the substrate.

Furthermore, using the synthetic routes of the present invention, the array of components can be processed between the various delivery steps. For example, component A can be delivered to a first region on a substrate and, thereafter, exposed to oxygen at an elevated temperature, for example. Subsequently, component B can be delivered to the first region on the substrate and, thereafter, components A and B can be reacted under a set of reaction conditions. Other manipulations and processing steps which can be carried out between the various delivery steps will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure.

As such, using the methods of the present invention, the following resulting materials can be prepared: covalent network solids, ionic solids and molecular solids. More particularly, the methods of the present invention can be used to prepare, for example, inorganic materials, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organic materials, organometallic materials, nonbiological organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), etc. Ceramics can be prepared, for instance, by delivering reactant components to predefined regions on the substrate using, for example, solution based delivery techniques. Once the components of interest have been delivered to the substrate, the substrate is heated to the boiling point of the solvent to evaporate off the solvent. Alternatively, the solvent can be removed by delivering the components to a heated substrate. The substrate is then oxidized to remove unwanted components (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, etc.) from the array. The substrate is then flash heated at a temperature of about 800° C. to about 875° C. for about two minutes. Thereafter, the reaction is rapidly quenched and the array is scanned for materials having a particular property, such as luminescence, superconductivity, dielectric strength, etc. Magnetic materials can be prepared using a similar process except that in the case of magnetic materials, the components are delivered to the substrate and simultaneously reacted thereon in the presence of a magnetic field.

Moreover, an array of zeolites, i.e., hydrated silicates of aluminum and either sodium, calcium or both, can be prepared using the methods of the present invention. To prepare an array of such materials, the components are delivered to predefined regions on a substrate in the form of a slurry. Using a low temperature (e.g., 60° C. to about 70° C.) hydrothermal method, for example, the zeolites will crystallize out of solution. In addition, organic polymers can be prepared by delivering a monomer (or monomers) of interest to predefined regions on the substrate usually in the form of a solution. Once the monomer of interest has been delivered, an initiator is added to each region on the substrate. The polymerization reaction is allowed to proceed until the initiator is used up, or until the reaction is terminated in some other manner. Upon completion of the polymerization reaction, the solvent can be removed by, for example, evaporation in vacuo.

It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that the foregoing synthetic routes are intended to illustrate, and not restrict, the ways in which the reactants can be simultaneously reacted to form at least two materials on a single substrate. Other synthetic routes and other modifications known to and used by those of skill in the art can also be used.

VIII. Methods for Screening the Array of Materials

Once prepared, the array of resulting materials can be screened in parallel for materials having useful properties and/or functions. Either the entire array or, alternatively, a section thereof (e.g., a row of predefined regions) can be screened in parallel for materials having useful properties. Scanning detection systems are preferably utilized to screen an array of materials wherein the density of regions per unit area will be greater than 0.04 regions/cm², greater than 0.1 regions/cm², greater than 1 region/cm², greater than 10 regions/cm², and greater than 100 regions/cm². In some preferred embodiments, scanning detection systems are preferably utilized to screen an array of materials wherein the density of regions per unit area will be greater than 1,000 regions/cm², greater than 10,000 regions/cm², greater than 100,000 regions/cm², and greater than 10,000,000 regions/cm².

Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment, the array of resulting materials is synthesized on a single substrate. By synthesizing the array of resulting materials on a single substrate, screening the array for materials having useful properties and/or functions is more easily carried out. Properties which can be screened for include, for example, electrical, thermal mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical, etc. More particularly, useful properties which can be screened for are set forth in Table I, infra. Any material found to possess a useful property can subsequently be prepared on a large-scale.

The properties listed in Table I can be screened for using conventional methods and devices known to and used by those of skill in the art. Scanning systems which can be used to screen for the properties set forth in Table I include, but are not limited to, the following: scanning Raman spectroscopy; scanning NMR spectroscopy; scanning probe spectroscopy including, for example, surface potentialometry, tunneling current, atomic force, acoustic microscopy, shearing-stress microscopy, ultra fast photo excitation, electrostatic force microscope, tunneling induced photo emission microscope, magnetic force microscope, microwave field-induced surface harmonic generation microscope, nonlinear alternating-current tunneling microscopy, near-field scanning optical microscopy, inelastic electron tunneling spectrometer, etc.; optical microscopy in different wavelength; scanning optical ellipsometry (for measuring dielectric constant and multilayer film thickness); scanning Eddy-current microscope; electron (diffraction) microscope, etc.

More particularly, to screen for conductivity and/or superconductivity, one of the following devices can be used: a Scanning RF Susceptibility Probe, a Scanning RF/Microwave Split-Ring Resonator Detector, or a Scanning Superconductors Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) Detection System. To screen for hardness, a nanoindentor (diamond tip) can, for example, be used. To screen for magnetoresistance, a Scanning RF/Microwave Split-Ring Resonator Detector or a SQUID Detection System can be used. To screen for crystallinity, infrared or Raman spectroscopy can be used. To screen for magnetic strength and coercivity, a Scanning RF Susceptibility Probe, a Scanning RF/Microwave Split-Ring Resonator Detector, a SQUID Detection System or a Hall probe can be used. To screen for fluorescence, a photodetector or a charged-coupled device camera can be used. Other scanning systems known to those of skill in the art can also be used.

TABLE I EXAMPLES OF PROPERTIES WHICH CAN BE SCREENED FOR ELECTRICAL: SUPERCONDUCTIVITY CRITICAL CURRENT CRITICAL MAGNETIC FIELD CONDUCTIVITY RESISTIVITY FOR RESISTIVE FILMS DIELECTRIC CONSTANT DIELECTRIC STRENGTH DIELECTRIC LOSS STABILITY UNDER BIAS POLARIZATION PERMITTIVITY PIEZOELECTRICITY ELECTROMIGRATION THERMAL: COEFFICIENT OF EXPANSION THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY TEMPERATURE VARIATION VOLATILITY & VAPOR PRESSURE MECHANICAL: STRESS ANISOTROPY ADHESION HARDNESS DENSITY DUCTILITY ELASTICITY POROSITY MORPHOLOGY: CRYSTALLINE OR AMORPHOUS MICROSTRUCTURE SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY CRYSTALLITE ORIENTATION OPTICAL: REFRACTIVE INDEX ABSORPTION BIREFRINGENCE SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS DISPERSION FREQUENCY MODULATION EMISSION MAGNETIC: SATURATION FLUX DENSITY MAGNETORESISTANCE MAGNETORESTRICTION COERCIVE FORCE MAGNETIC: PERMEABILITY CHEMICAL: COMPOSITION COMPLEXATION ACIDITY-BASICITY CATALYSIS IMPURITIES REACTIVITY WITH SUBSTRATE CORROSION & EROSION RESISTANCE

The arrays of the present invention can be screened sequentially or, alternatively, they can be screened in parallel using a scanning system. For instance, the array of resulting materials can be sequentially screened for superconductivity using, for example, magnetic decoration (Bitter pattern) and electron holography. Alternatively, the array of resulting materials can be scanned for superconductivity using, for example, a Hall-probe, magnetic force microscopy, SQUID microscopy, a AC susceptibility microscope, a microwave absorption microscope, an Eddy current microscope, etc.

In a presently preferred embodiment, a scanning detection system is employed. In one embodiment, the substrate having an array of resulting materials thereon is fixed and the detector has X-Y motion. In this embodiment, the substrate is placed inside a sealed chamber, close to the detector. The detector (e.g., an RF Resonator, a SQUID detector, etc.) is attached to a rigid rod with low thermal conductivity coupled to an X-Y positioning table at room temperature with a scanning range of up to 1 inch and a 2 μm spatial resolution. The position of the detector is controlled using stepping motors (or servomotors) connected to a computer-controlled positioner. The temperature of the detector and the substrate can be lowered via helium exchange gas by liquid helium reservoir located around the chamber. This scanning system can be operated at temperatures ranging from 600° K. down to 4.2° K. (when immersed in liquid helium).

In another embodiment, the detector is fixed and the substrate having an array of resulting materials thereon has R-θ motion. In this embodiment, the substrate is placed on a rotating stage (e.g., a spur gear) driven by a gear rack which is coupled to a micrometer and a stepping motor. This rotating stage is located on a cryogenic sliding table which is driven by a separate micrometer and stepping motor system. This system is capable of scanning an area having a 1 inch radius with a 1 μm spatial resolution. The scanning and probing are controlled through the use of a computer. As with the other embodiment, the temperature of the detector and the substrate can be lowered via helium exchange gas using a liquid helium reservoir located around the chamber. This scanning system can be operated at temperatures ranging from 600° K. down to 4.2° K. (when immersed in liquid helium).

Using either of the foregoing embodiments, a Scanning RF Susceptibility Detection System can, for example, be used to detect the superconductivity of a large array of resulting materials (see, e.g., FIG. 13). Using photolithographic techniques, a micro (about 1×1 mm²) spiral coil can be fabricated to probe the conductivity of a sample adjacent to the coil. The signals are picked up by a phase-sensitive detection electronic circuit. Thereafter, the data is analyzed by a computer to obtain a correlation between the properties and stoichiometry of a given sample. If desired, analytical results can be fed back to the delivery system so that the system can “zoom in” on the most promising stoichiometry in the next synthesis cycle.

Moreover, a superconducting microcircuit implementation of a parallel LC resonance circuit can be used to scan the array of resulting materials for those that are superconducting. A parallel LC circuit is simply an inductor in parallel with a capacitor. The electrical properties of both circuit elements give the circuit a resonance frequency where a maximum amount of input voltage is transmitted through to the output. The sharpness of the peak, conventionally measured by its Q value, is determined by the materials used in the circuit, whereas the frequency of the resonance is set by the capacitance and the inductance. It has been determined that manufacturing the circuit out of a superconducting material, such as niobium, gives a very high Q value, i.e., a Q value on the order of 10,000 or more. This is in contrast to commercially available, nonsuperconducting capacitors and inductors which generally give Q values on the order of hundreds. The steep peak of the niobium circuit gives rise to high sensitive detection.

In this system, actual detection is done by the induction coil. The inductance of an inductor is a function of the magnetic field geometry through its coils. In the presence of a nearby superconducting sample, the magnetic field through the inductor is distorted by the expulsion of field by the material (i.e., the Meissner effect). This, in turn, changes the inductance and shifts the resonance. By following the resonance, one can readily determine when a material is superconducting.

In this scanning device, the total circuit is approximately 5 mm×2.5 mm, with an active area equal to approximately one-fourth of that. The coil is a spiral coil having dimensions of about 1.5 mm per side, and the capacitor is a two-plate niobium capacitor with a SiO₂ dielectric (i.e., insulating) layer. SQUID magnetometers have achieved spatial resolutions of 10 μm, but their sensitivities have been limited by noise present in the Josephson junction. In the scanning device of the present invention, however, the device is unencumbered by noise from the Josephson junction and, thus, a sensitivity for samples of 1 μm or less can be achieved. In this embodiment, sensitivity, rather than spatial resolution, is a more critical criterion.

It will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art that the foregoing detection systems are intended to illustrate, and not restrict, the ways in which the array of material can be screened for those materials having useful properties. Other detection systems known to and used by those of skill in the art can similarly be used.

IX. Alternative Embodiments

In another embodiment of the present invention, at least two different arrays of materials are prepared by delivering substantially the same components at substantially identical concentrations to predefined regions on both first and second substrates and, thereafter, subjecting the components on the first substrate to a first set of reaction conditions and the components on the second substrate to a second set of reaction conditions in a wide array of compositions. If a first substrate has, for example, components A and B on a first region on the substrate and, in addition, components X and Y on a second region on the substrate, the second substrate is prepared in a manner such that it has substantially the same components in predefined regions thereon. That is to say, the second substrate is substantially identical to the first substrate in terms of the components contained thereon. As such, in this example, the second substrate would also have components A and B on the first region on the substrate and, in addition, components X and Y on the second region on the substrate.

Once the components have been delivered to their appropriate predefined regions on the substrate, the components on the first substrate can be reacted using a first set of reaction conditions, whereas the components on the second substrate can be reacted using a second set of reaction conditions. It will be understood by those of skill in the art that the components on the first substrate can be reacted under a first set of reaction conditions at the same time as the components on the second substrate are reacted under a second set of reaction conditions or, alternatively, the components on the first substrate can be reacted under a first set of reaction conditions either before or after the components on the second substrate are reacted under a second set of reaction conditions.

In this embodiment, the effects of various reaction parameters can be studied and, in turn, optimized. Reaction parameters which can be varied include, for example, reactant amounts, reactant solvents, reaction temperatures, reaction times, the pressures at which the reactions are carried out, the atmospheres in which the reactions are conducted, the rates at which the reactions are quenched, etc. Other reaction parameters which can be varied will be apparent to those of skill in the art. Alternatively, the first set of reaction conditions can be the same as the second set of reaction conditions, but, in this embodiment, the processing steps after the components on the first and second substrates have been reacted would differ from the first substrate to the second substrate. For example, the first substrate can be exposed to oxygen at elevated temperatures, while the second substrate is not processed at all.

Alternatively, in another aspect of this embodiment, the first substrate having component A on the first region of the substrate and component X on the second region of the substrate is exposed to a particular set of reaction conditions (e.g., exposed to oxygen at elevated temperatures), while the second substrate also having component A on the first region of the substrate and component X on the second region of the substrate is not exposed to such reaction conditions. Thereafter, component B is delivered to the first region on both the first and second substrates, and component Y is delivered to the second region on both the first and second substrates. Once the desired components have been delivered to the first and second regions on the first and second substrates, the components can be simultaneously reacted under substantially identical reaction conditions. This particular embodiment allows one to determine the effects intermediate processing steps have on a particular array of materials. As set forth above, any of a number of different reaction parameters can be varied.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for producing an array of materials varying from one another in terms of chemical composition and component stoichiometries. In this method, a component can be delivered to a particular predefined region(s) in a gradient of stoichiometries. Moreover, multiple components can be delivered to a particular predefined region(s) in a gradient of stoichiometries. For example, a first component of a first material and a first component of a second material are deposited on first and second predefined regions, respectively. Thereafter, a second component of the first material and a second component of the second material are deposited in a gradient of stoichiometries from top to bottom (or left to right) on the first and second predefined regions, respectively. Once the components have been delivered to the substrate, the components can be simultaneously reacted to form materials varying from one another in terms of chemical composition and chemical stoichiometries.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a material having a useful property is provided. The material is prepared by a process comprising the steps of: (a) forming an array of different resulting materials on a single substrate; (b) screening the array for a material having a useful property; and (c) making additional amounts of the material having the useful property. Such materials include, for example, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organometallic materials, organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), etc. In addition, useful properties include, for example, electrical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical, etc.

Using the foregoing method, a new family of giant magnetoresistive (GMR) cobalt oxides has been discovered. Arrays of materials containing different compositions and stoichiometries of Ln_(x)M_(y)CoO_(δ), wherein Ln is, for example, Y and La, and M is, for example, Pb, Ca, Sr and Ba, were formed using thin film deposition techniques in combination with masking techniques (See, Example D, infra, for the protocol used to generate the arrays of cobalt oxide thin-film materials). Once formed, the arrays of materials were screened for those materials among them having useful properties. More particularly, the arrays of materials were screened for specific materials having giant magnetoresistive (GMR) properties, among others. In doing so, materials having large magnetoresistance (MR) were discovered. Once the materials having useful properties were identified, additional amounts of such materials were prepared for further analysis.

The compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides have the following general formula: A_(y·(1−x))M_(y·x)CoO_(z), wherein A is a metal selected from the group consisting of lanthanum (La), yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yp) and lutecium (Lu); M is a metal selected from the group consisting of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), lead (Pb), thallium (Tl) and bismuth (Bi); y has a value ranging from about 1 to about 2; x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9; and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4. The compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides generally have a layered, perovskite-related structure, i.e., a cubic perovskite structure with some slight distortion.

In a presently preferred embodiment, the compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides have the following general formula: A_(1−x)M_(x)CoO_(z), wherein A is a metal selected from the group consisting of lanthanum (La), yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pin), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yp) and lutecium (Lu); M is a metal selected from the group consisting of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd); x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9; and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4. Within the scope of this formula, certain embodiments are preferred, namely those in which x has a value ranging from about 0.2 to about 0.7 and, even more preferred, are those in which x has a value ranging from 0.3 to about 0.5.

In a further preferred embodiment, the compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides have the following general formula: La_(1−x)M_(x)CoO_(z), wherein M is a metal selected from the group consisting of barium, calcium and strontium; x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9; and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4. Within the scope of this formula, certain embodiments are preferred, namely those in which x has a value ranging from about 0.2 to about 0.7 and, even more preferred, are those in which x has a value ranging from 0.3 to about 0.5. As mentioned, the compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides generally have a layered, perovskite-related structure.

In yet another embodiment, libraries of layers, blends, mixtures and combinations thereof can be generated and screened using the previously described methods for generating and screening arrays of materials. In this embodiment, a method for making an array of materials is provided, the method comprising: (a) delivering a first component of a first material and a first component of a second material to first and second regions on a substrate; and (b) delivering a second component of the first material and a second component of the second material to the first and second regions on the substrate; whereby the components of the first material and the components of the second material interact to form at least two different materials. Using this method, arrays of materials differing in terms of their composition, concentration, stoichiometry, and/or thickness can be generated. Materials which can be prepared in accordance with the methods of the present invention include, for example, covalent network solids, ionic solids and molecular solids. More particularly, materials which can be prepared in accordance with the methods of the present invention include, but are not limited to, inorganic materials, intermetallic materials, metal alloys, ceramic materials, organic materials, organometallic materials, non-biological organic polymers, composite materials (e.g., inorganic composites, organic composites, or combinations thereof), or other materials which will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Since the resulting materials are at known locations on the substrate, they can be readily screened and compared with each other for performance and/or useful properties.

As with the previously described methods, the arrays of materials are generated by delivering various components to predefined regions of a substrate. The materials can be produced by the components interacting (e.g., reacting, intermingling, interdiffusing, interspersing, doping, implanting, e.g., ion implanting, interpenetrating, condensing, fusing, interlocking, etc.) with each other before they come in contact with the substrate, as they come in contact with each other on the substrate, or after they are delivered to the substrate. In some embodiments, the components interact with each other upon exposure to or after introduction of an external source. Such external sources include, but are not limited to, a chemical substance, energy, radiation, electricity, heat, pressure, voltage, etc.

As previously described, the components can be delivered to the substrate in a sequential manner, in a parallel manner or in both a sequential and parallel manner. For instance, in one embodiment, the first component of the first material and the first component of the second material can be simultaneously delivered to the first region and the second region of the substrate, respectively, and, thereafter, the second component of the first material and the second component of the second material can be delivered sequentially to the first region and the second region of the substrate, respectively. In some embodiments, masking techniques are used in conjunction with the delivery techniques. Components can react or intermingle with each other before they contact the substrate, using either sequential or parallel delivery techniques. For example, components can be deposited in sequence using a rotating target holder and can react or interact, e.g., commingle, before contacting the substrate.

More particularly, in preferred embodiments of this invention, various arrays of distinct materials can be synthesized on substrates using various combinatorial techniques. Examples of strategies that can be used to generate such arrays of materials include, but are not limited to, the following:

Example 1

-   -   In this embodiment, a first component of first and second         materials is delivered to predefined regions on a substrate,         then a second component of the first and second materials is         delivered to the predefined region on the substrate, and so on         for other components (e.g., third, fourth, firth, etc.         components) and/or other materials (e.g., third, fourth, fifth,         etc. materials). The resulting array of materials, each at a         discrete and known locations of the substrate, comprises layers,         blends, mixtures or combinations thereof.

Example 2

-   -   In another embodiment, the array is formed as in Example 1, but         the resulting materials are formed immediately on the substrate         as the components contact each other on the substrate.

Example 3

-   -   In another embodiment, the array is formed as in Example 1, but         after the various components are delivered to the substrate, a         processing step is carried out and causes the components to         interact to form layers, blends, mixtures, or combinations         thereof or, in addition, materials resulting from a reaction         between components.

Example 4

-   -   In another embodiment, two or more components are delivered to         predefined regions on a substrate using fast sequential or         parallel delivery techniques such that the components interact         with each other before contacting the substrate. The resulting         array of materials, each at a discrete and known locations of         the substrate, comprises layers, blends, mixtures or         combinations thereof.

Example 5

-   -   In another embodiment, two or more components are delivered to         predefined regions on a substrate using sequential or parallel         delivery techniques such that the components react with each         other before contacting the substrate or immediately upon         contacting the substrate. The resulting array of materials, each         at a discrete and known location of the substrate, comprises         materials resulting from a reaction between         Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the         foregoing examples are illustrative and not restrictive, and         that numerous other strategies can be used to generate the         arrays of materials.

Using the methods of the present invention, arrays of materials, i.e., layers, blends, mixtures or combinations thereof, can be produced wherein at least 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, or 1,000,000, different materials are created on a substrate. Again, each of the materials can vary in composition, concentration, stoichiometry, thickness, etc. In some embodiments, the delivery process is repeated to provide materials with as few as two components, although the process can be readily adapted to form materials having 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 or more components therein. The density of regions per unit area will be greater than 0.04 regions/cm², greater than 0.1 regions/cm², greater than 1 region/cm², greater than 10 regions/cm², greater than 100 regions/cm². In some preferred embodiments, the density of regions per unit area will be greater than 1,000 regions/cm², greater than 10,000 regions/cm², greater than 100,000 regions/cm², or greater than 10,000,000 regions/cm².

Moreover, as previously described, components can be delivered to the substrate in a gradient fashion such that a gradient of materials is formed on predetermined regions of the substrate or across the entire substrate. The components can be delivered in a gradient including, but not limited to, a gradient of compositions, a gradient of concentrations, a gradient of stoichiometries and a gradient of thicknesses. Again, the gradient can be formed within a particular predefined region(s) of the substrate, or across all of the predefined regions on the substrate. As such, the gradient of materials can vary in terms of composition, concentration, stoichiometry, thickness, etc. Components can be comprised of an element, a chemical substance, or a mixture of elements or chemical substances, present in variable stoichiometries that may or may not react with each other.

As with the previously described methods, the components can be delivered to predefined regions on the substrate using various delivery techniques either alone or in combination with masking techniques. Such delivery techniques include, but are not limited to, sputtering techniques, spraying techniques, laser deposition techniques, electron beam or thermal evaporation techniques, ion-beam techniques, ion implantation or doping techniques, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques, as well as other techniques used in the fabrication of integrated circuit devices. The components can be delivered as amorphous films, polycrystalline films, epitaxial films, or lattice and superlattice structures. Alternatively, the various components can be delivered to predefined regions on the substrate from a dispenser in the form of droplets or powder. Suitable dispensers include, for example, micropipettes, mechanisms adapted from ink-jet printing technology and electrophoretic pumps. All of the foregoing delivery techniques enable arrays of components with slightly varying composition, concentrations, stoichiometries and thicknesses to be deposited onto known locations on the substrate so that the resulting materials can be readily formed and analyzed.

The resulting substrate having an array of materials thereon will have a variety of uses. For example, as previously described, once prepared, the substrate can be screened for materials having useful properties. Accordingly, the array of materials is preferably synthesized on a single substrate. By synthesizing the array of materials on a single substrate, screening the array for materials having useful properties and/or functions is more easily carried out. Typically, each of the resulting materials will be screened or interrogated for the same function and/or property, and the relative performances of each resulting material with regard to that function or property will be determined. Thus, for example, the resulting materials can be screened for useful properties and/or functions and then ranked or otherwise compared relative to each other with respect to these useful properties and/or functions.

Properties which can be screened for include, for example, electrical, thermal mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic, chemical, etc. More particularly, properties which can be screened for include, for example, conductivity, superconductivity, resistivity, thermal conductivity, anisotropic resistivity, hardness, crystallinity, optical reflectivity, magnetoresistivity, permeability, frequency doubling, photoemission, coercivity, dielectric strength, selectivity or activity as, for example, a catalyst, viscosity, or other useful properties which will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure.

In accordance with the above embodiment, libraries of microdevices, such as thin-film capacitors, thin-film electroluminescent modules, thin-film batteries or thin-film magnetic recording read heads, can be generated. For example, a thin-film capacitor consists of two electrode materials separated by an insulating or dielectric material. An array of thin-film capacitors can be formed by first depositing an electrode material on each of the predefined regions on the substrate. An array of dielectric materials can then be generated on top of the electrode surface using the methods previously described. On top of this layer, another electrode layer can be deposited, resulting in an array of thin-film capacitors, each capacitor containing a different dielectric material. By measuring the capacitance at each of the predefined regions on the substrate, the performance of the various dielectric materials for thin-film capacitors can be tested and optimized. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this approach is fully applicable to other thin-film devices, such as thin-film electroluminescent displays. In addition, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that any one of the various layers in a thin-film device can be an array of different materials at the same or different stoichiometries, or an array of the same material at different stoichiometries. Moreover, the order of the various layers can be varied (e.g., the electrode material in the thin-film capacitors can be deposited on either the top or bottom of the other layers. Thus, using the methods of the present invention, each of the layers in a given thin-film device can be optimized.

It will be understood by those of skill in the art that the foregoing discussions directed to the various delivery techniques, synthetic routes, screening methods, etc. are fully applicable to the above embodiments of the present invention.

X. Examples

The following examples are provided to illustrate the efficacy of the inventions herein.

A. Synthesis of an Array of 16 Copper Oxide Thin-Film Materials

This example illustrates the synthesis and screening of an array of copper oxide thin-film materials. The reactants were delivered to a 1.25 cm×1.25 cm MgO substrate with a (100) polished surface. The substrate having 16 predefined regions thereon was contained in a reaction chamber in vacuo. The reactants were delivered to the substrate in the form of thin-films using a sputtering system in combination with binary masking techniques. The binary mask was made of stainless steel. A RF magnetron gun sputtering system was used to deliver the reactant components to the predefined regions on the substrate. The RF magnetron sputtering gun (Mini-mak manufactured by US, Inc., Campbell, Calif.) used was about 1.3 inches in diameter. With RF input power (supplied by a Plasmtherm-2000 with a matching network) of 50 to about 200 W, deposition rates ranged from about 0.3 Å/s to about 2 Å/s for the five different reactant components. The RF magnetron sprayer was positioned about 3 to 4 inches above the substrate and the uniformity of deposited film was about 5% over a 1 to 2 inch diameter area. The sputtering gas flow (Ar or Ar and O₂) was controlled by metering valves and differential pumping through a manual gate valve. To achieve a high deposition rate, it was determined that the best gas pressure range was about 5 to 15 mTorr. The partial pressure of each gas component in the chamber was monitored using a residual gas analyzer (Micropole Sensor by Ferran Scientific, San Diego, Calif.) directly up to 15 mTorr without differential pumping.

The reactant components used to generate the array of copper oxide materials were as follows: CuO, Bi₂O₃, CaO, PbO and SrCO₃. CuO was used as the base element in an effort to discover new copper oxide materials and, thus, this component was delivered to each of the 16 predefined regions on the substrate. Prior to delivering the component of interest to the predefined regions on the substrate, the base air pressure of the reaction chamber was lowered, within 10 to 15 minutes, to about 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁶ Torr by a 250 1/s turbo pump and, if necessary, it was furthered lowered to 10⁻⁸ Torr using extended pumping time in combination with heating the reaction chamber to about 100° C. to about 150° C. Since only a single RF magnetron gun sputtering system was employed, the vacuum was broken and re-established each time the component was changed. The film deposition thickness was monitored using a crystal micro-balance (STM-100 by Sycon Instruments, Syracuse, N.Y.). Since the position of crystal micro-balance was not located at exactly the same position as the substrate, it was necessary to calibrate the thickness monitor reading for each component with a profilometer.

The reactant components were delivered to the MgO substrate in the following order: Bi₂O₃, PbO, CuO, CaO and SrCO₃. The stoichiometry was designed so that each of the five components was present in equal molar amounts, i.e., 1Bi:1Pb:1Cu:1Sr:1Ca as deposited film. The total thickness of the film was about 0.5 μm for a five layered site. The thickness of each of the individual films as well as the sputtering rates at which each of the components were deposited are set forth in Table II, supra.

TABLE II DEPOSITION THICKNESS AND SPUTTERING RATE FOR THE COMPONENTS USED TO GENERATE AN ARRAY OF COPPER OXIDES Component Deposition Thickness Sputtering Rate Bi₂O₃ 1200 Å  2 Å/Sec PbO 970 Å 1.6 Å/Sec   CuO 540 Å 1 Å/Sec SrCO₃ 1650 Å  3 Å/Sec CaO 720 Å 3 Å/Sec

Once the components of interest were delivered to the 16 predefined regions on the substrate as illustrated in FIG. 14, the substrate was placed in a furnace, and the components were subsequently reacted. FIG. 15 is a photograph of the array of 16 different compounds on the 1.25 cm×1.25 cm MgO substrate. The color of each site is the natural color of reflected light from a white light source at an angle. The components were simultaneously reacted using the following heating and cooling procedure: 50° C. to 725° C. in 2 hr., 725° C. to 820° C. in 1 hr., 820° C. to 840° C. in 0.5 hr. and 840° C. to 750° C. in 0.5 hr. Once the substrate cooled to a temperature of about 750° C., the power was turned off. The heating and cooling procedure was performed in ambient atmosphere. No apparent evaporation or melting was observed.

Once reacted, each of the 16 predefined reaction regions was screened for resistance. In doing so, it was found that two of the predefined regions contained materials which are conducting. Contacts were put on these two sites in in-line 4-probe configuration, and it was determined that the contact resistances are less than hundred ohms (Ω). Thereafter, the samples were cooled down to 4.2° K. in a liquid helium cryostat to measure resistivity as a function of temperature. Factory calibrated Cernox™ resistance temperature sensor (LakeShore) was used to measure temperature. FIGS. 16A and 16B shows the resistance of the two conducting materials as a function of temperature. The BiPbCuSrCa material has a metallic conductivity (resistance decrease with temperature) from room temperature down to about 100° K., whereas the BiCuSrCa material has a rather flat and slightly upward temperature dependence resistance. Superconducting critical temperatures (T_(c)) for both samples are about 100° K. Evidence of two superconducting phases in the resistivity measurement was not observed.

B. Synthesis of an Array of 128 Copper Oxide Thin-Film Material

This example illustrates the synthesis and screening of a 128 member library consisting of different combinations, stoichiometries and deposition sequences of Bi, Ca, Cu, Pb and Sr. The library was generated by sputtering target materials through physical masks using an RF magnetron sputtering gun. Sputtering was carried out at 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁶ ton with Ar as the sputtering gas; deposition rates were 0.1 to 1 Å s⁻¹. Film deposition thickness was monitored with a crystal microbalance and calibrated independently with a profilometer. The uniformity of the deposited films varied approximately 5% over a 2-inch diameter area. MgO single crystals with a (100) polished surface were used as substrates and CuO, Bi₂O₃, CaO, PbO and SrCO₃ were used as sputtering targets. The library was generated using a binary masking strategy by overlaying a primary physical mask containing 128 (1×2 mm) holes with a series of secondary masks (FIG. 17). (See, Fodor, S. P. A., et al., Science 251, 767 (1991)). Precursors were sputtered through the appropriate binary mask in a stepwise fashion. Up to six identical 128 member libraries could be synthesized simultaneously and processed under different conditions. In a binary synthesis, 2^(m) compounds are formed for a given number of masking steps (m). The array contains all combinations that can be formed by deleting one or more steps from the entire deposition/masking sequence. Additional masking schemes can be used to generate other libraries, e.g., a library consisting of all quaternary compounds derived from a group of ten precursors.

As mentioned, a 128-member library was generated to examine the effects of stoichiometry and deposition sequence on the properties of the BiSrCaCuO films. The library was generated as follows: 1, Bi, M0; 2, Bi, M1; 3, Cu, M0; 4, Cu, M2; 5, Cu, M3; 6, Sr, M0; 7, Sr, M5; 8, Ca, M6; 9, Cu, M4; 10, Ca, M7, where the first entry designates the deposition step, the second designates the element and the third designates the mask (see, FIG. 18). The molar stoichiometry for each layer was 1:1 relative to Bi (which was deposited as a 300 Å layer), with the exception of steps 3 and 5 in which the Cu:Bi ratio was 0.5:1. The library was then sintered at 840° C. in air. The heating and cooling procedures were: 50° C. to 725° C. in 2 hr., 725° C. to 820° C. in 1 hr., 820° C. to 840° C. in 0.5 hr., 840° C. to 750° C. in 0.5 hr. The entire heating procedure was performed in air. No apparent evaporation or melting was observed. The resistance of each site was measured using a 4-point contact probe.

Films with low resistivities such as the BiCuSrCaO film shown in FIG. 19A showed metallic behavior with onset Tc's of 80° K. and 90° K. This is in contrast to the behavior of the BiCuCaSrO film found in the sixteen member library. Other films were also found in the 128 member library, having identical stoichiometries and different deposition sequences, that had distinct resistivity versus temperature profiles, e.g., BiCuSrCaCuCaO and BiCuCuSrCaCaO (FIG. 19B). This result suggests that different phases may be accessible by controlling the deposition sequence. Films with excess Ca and Cu, e.g., BiSrCaCuO ratios of 2,2,4,4 and 2,2,4,5, showed a 110° K. phase, consistent with the formation of Bi₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀.

C. Synthesis of an Array of 128 Copper Oxide Thin-Film Materials Containing BiSrCaCuO and YBaCuO Superconducting Materials

This example illustrates the synthesis and screening of a 128 member library consisting of different combinations, stoichiometries and deposition sequences of Ba, Y, Bi, Ca, Sr and Cu. The library was generated by sputtering target materials through physical masks using an RF magnetron sputtering gun. Sputtering was carried out at 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁶ torr with Ar as the sputtering gas; deposition rates were 0.1 to 1 Å s⁻¹. Film deposition thickness was monitored with a crystal microbalance (STM-100 by Sycon Instruments, Syracuse, N.Y.) and calibrated independently with a profilometer. The uniformity of the deposited films varied approximately 5% over a 1 to 2 inch diameter area. MgO single crystals with a (100) polished surface were used as substrates and BaCO₃, Y₂O₃, Bi₂O₃, CaO, SrCO₃ and CuO were used as sputtering targets. The library was generated using a nonbinary masking strategy as described below.

The 128-member library was generated to examine the effects of stoichiometry and deposition sequence on the properties of the BiSrCaCuO and YBaCuO thin-film materials. The library was generated as follows: 1, Bi, M1; 2, Cu, M2; 3, La, M3; 4, Y3, M4; 5, Ba, M5; 6, Sr, M6; 7, Ca, M7, where the first entry designates the deposition step, the second designates the element and the third designates the mask employed (see, FIG. 20). The thickness of each of the individual films was as follows: Bi₂O₃, 1000 Å; CuO, 716 Å; La₂O₃, 956 Å; Y₂O₃, 432 Å; BaCO₃, 1702 Å; SrCO₃, 1524 Å; CaO, 635 Å. Following low temperature diffusion (−200-300° C.), the library was sintered at 840° C. in ambient atmosphere. The heating and cooling procedure used was as follows: 200° C. to 300° C. in 12 hr., 300° C. to 700° C. in 1 hr., 700° C. to 750° C. in 2 hr., 750° C. to 840° C. in 0.4 hr., 840° C. to 840° C. for 1 hr., 840° C. to 560° C. in 1 hr., 560° C. to 250° C. in 6 hr. After 6 hours at 250° C., the power was turned off. The entire heating procedure was performed in air. No apparent evaporation or melting was observed.

Once reacted, each of the 128 predefined regions was screened for resistance. The resistance of each site was measured using a 4-point contact probe. Films with low resistivities, such as the BiCuSrCaO film and the YBaCuO film shown in FIG. 2I, showed metallic behavior with onset Tc's of about 80° K. and 60° K., respectively (see, FIG. 2I).

D. Synthesis of Arrays of Cobalt Oxide Thin-film Materials

This example illustrates the synthesis and screening of arrays of cobalt oxide (CoO) thin-film materials. The reactants were delivered to 2.5 cm×2.5 cm LaAlO₃ substrates with (100) polished surfaces. The substrates having 128 predefined regions thereon were contained in a reaction chamber in vacuo. The reactants were delivered to the substrates in the form of thin-films using a sputtering system in combination with nonbinary masking techniques. The masks employed were made of stainless steel. A RF magnetron gun sputtering system was used to deliver the reactant components to the predefined regions on the substrates. The RF magnetron sputtering gun (Mini-mak manufactured by US, Inc., Campbell, Calif.) used was about 1.3 inches in diameter. With RF input power (supplied by a Plasmtherm-2000 with a matching network) of 50 to about 200 W, deposition rates ranged from about 0.3 Å/s to about 2 Å/s for the various reactant components. The RF magnetron sprayer was positioned about 3 to 4 inches above the substrates and the uniformity of deposited film was about 5% over a 1 to 2 inch diameter area. The sputtering gas flow (Ar or Ar and O₂) was controlled by metering valves and differential pumping through a manual gate valve. To achieve a high deposition rate, it was determined that the best pressure range was about 5 to 15 mTorr. The partial pressure of each gas component in the chamber was monitored using a residual gas analyzer (Micropole Sensor by Ferran Scientific, San Diego, Calif.) directly up to 15 mTorr without differential pumping.

The reactant components used to generate the arrays of cobalt oxide materials were as follows: Y₂O₃, La₂O₃, Co, BaCO₃, SrCO₃, CaO, PbO, Co, Co, La₂O₃, La₂O₃, Y₂O₃, and Y₂O₃. The libraries were generated as follows: 1, Y, M1; 2, La, M2; 3, Co, M3; 4, Ba, M4; 5, Sr, M5; 6, Ca, M6; 7, Pb, M7; 8, Co, M8; 9, Co, M9; 10, La, M10; 11, La, M11; 12, Y, M12; and 13, Y, M13, where the first entry designates the deposition step, the second designates the element and the third designates the mask employed (see, FIG. 22). Co was used as the base element in an effort to discover new cobalt oxide thin-film materials having giant magnetoresistant properties and, thus, this component was delivered to each of the 128 predefined regions on the substrates. Prior to delivering the component of interest to the predefined regions on the substrates, the base air pressure of the reaction chamber was lowered, within 10 to 15 minutes, to about 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁶ Torr by a 250 1/s turbo pump and, thereafter, it was furthered lowered to 10⁻⁸ Torr using extended pumping time in combination with heating the reaction chamber to about 100° C. to about 150° C. Since only a single RF magnetron gun sputtering system was employed, the vacuum was broken and re-established each time the component was changed. The film deposition thickness was monitored using a crystal microbalance (STM-100 by Sycon Instruments, Syracuse, N.Y.).

The reactant components were delivered to the LaAlO₃ substrates in the following order: Y₂O₃, La₂O₃, Co, BaCO₃, SrCO₃, CaO, PbO, Co, Co, La₂O₃, La₂O₃, Y₂O₃, and Y₂O₃. The total thickness of the films was about 0.4 μm for a five layered site. The thickness of each of the individual films is set forth in Table III, supra.

TABLE III DEPOSITION THICKNESS AND SPUTTERING RATE FOR THE COMPONENTS USED TO GENERATE AN ARRAY OF COBALT OXIDES Component Deposition Thickness Y₂O₃ 245 Å LA₂O₃ 350 Å Co 145 Å BaCO₃ 600 Å SrCO₃ 538 Å CaO 245 Å PbO 316 Å Co 128 Å Co  55 Å La₂O₃ 245 Å La₂O₃ 245 Å Y₂O₃ 122 Å Y₂O₃ 245 Å

Once the components of interest were delivered to the 128 predefined regions on the substrates, the substrates were placed separately in a furnace, and the components were subsequently reacted. The components in Library 2 (L2) were simultaneously reacted using the following heating and cooling procedure: 200° C. to 300° C. in 12 hr., 300° C. to 650° C. in 1 hr., 650° C. to 850° C. in 3 hr., 850° C. to 900° C. in 3 hr., and 900° C. to 400° C. in 2 hr. Once the substrate cooled to a temperature of about 400° C., the power was turned off. The heating and cooling procedures were performed in ambient atmosphere. No apparent evaporation or melting was observed.

The components in Library 3 (L3) were simultaneously reacted using the following heating and cooling procedure: Room Temperature (RT) to 200° C. in 1 hr., 200° C. to 350° C. in 15 hr., 350° C. to RT (system shut down and the substrate allowed to cool to RT), RT to 650° C. in 2 hr., 650° C. to 740° C. in 13 hr., 740° C. to 850° C. in 1 hr., 850° C. to 900° C. in 3 hr., 900° C. to 650° C. in 0.5° C. hr, and 650° C. to 250° C. in 2 hr. Once the substrate cooled to a temperature of about 400° C., the power was turned off. The heating and cooling procedures were performed in ambient atmosphere. No apparent evaporation or melting was observed.

Once reacted, each of the 128 predefined reaction regions in the L2 and L3 libraries was screened for giant magnetoresistant (GMR) materials. The resistivity of each sample as a function of magnetic field, perpendicular to the probing current, and temperature was measured using the 4-probe contact method with a computer controlled multi-channel switching system. A liquid helium cryogenic system with a superconducting 12 Tesla (T) magnet (manufactured by Janis Research Co., Inc., Willmington, Mass.) was used to perform variable temperature and field measurements. FIG. 23 shows a map of the libraries and the stoichiometry of each sample. In addition, the black, solid circles in FIG. 23 indicates those samples which exhibited a significant GMR (>5%) effect.

From FIG. 23, it is apparent that a new family of GMR materials based on cobalt oxide has been discovered. The compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides have the following general structure: A_(y·(1−x))M_(y·x)CoO_(z), wherein A is a metal selected from the group consisting of lanthanum (La), yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yp) and lutecium (Lu); M is a metal selected from the group consisting of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), lead (Pb), thallium (Tl) and bismuth (Bi); y has a value ranging from about 1 to about 2; x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9; and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4. The compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides generally have a layered, perovskite-related structure.

In a presently preferred embodiment, the compounds in this new family of GMR cobalt oxides have the following general formula: A_(1−x)M_(x)CoO_(z), wherein A is a metal selected from the group consisting of lanthanum (La), yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yp) and lutecium (Lu); M is a metal selected from the group consisting of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd); x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9, more preferably, 0.2 to 0.7 and, even more preferably, 0.3 to 0.5; and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4.

Moreover, from FIG. 23, it is apparent that some of these cobalt oxide compounds have the formula: La_(1−x)M_(x)CoO_(z), wherein M is a member selected from the group consisting of Ca, Sr and Ba; x has a value ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.9; and z has a value ranging from about 2 to about 4. With respect to these particular cobalt oxide compounds, it was determined that the preferred molar fraction, i.e., x, is about 0.2 to about 0.7 and, even more preferably, about 0.3 to about 0.5. The normalized magnetoresistances of representative samples as a function of magnetic field at fixed temperature (60° K.) are shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B. The temperature dependence of the resistance and normalized MR of a representative sample L3 (13, 2) under different fields are shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B. In contrast to the behavior of manganese (Mn) oxide magnetoresistant (MR) materials (Jin, S., et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 66:382 (1995)), it has been found that the MR effect increases as the size of the alkaline earth ion increases (see, FIGS. 24A and 24B).

The MR effects of the samples in L2 are larger than those of L3, presumably due to differences in oxidation resulting from slightly different thermal treatments. The largest MR ratio measured in this library was 72%, obtained for sample L2 (15, 2) at T=7K and H=10T. This value is comparable to those measured for films generated in a similar fashion in a Mn based library. As with the manganese containing materials, optimization of composition, stoichiometry, substrate and synthetic conditions may lead to increases in the MR ratio. The corresponding Y(Ba, Sr, Ca)Co compounds show, however, much smaller (<5%) MR effects.

Three bulk samples with the stoichiometry La_(0.67)(Ba, Sr, Ca)_(0.33)CoO_(z), wherein z has a value of about 2 to about 4, were then synthesized (sintered at 1400° C. in air) for further structural study. X-ray diffraction patterns (FIGS. 26A-C) show that the crystal structure is basically cubic perovskite with lattice constant, a, equal to 3.846 Å, 3.836 Å, and 3.810 Å for the Ba, Sr, and Ca compounds, respectively. The minor splittings of the intensity peaks are attributed to rhombohedral distortion from the perfect cubic perovskite structure (see, Askham, F., et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 72:3799 (1950)).

In addition, a bulk sample of stoichiometry La_(0.58)Sr_(0.41)CoO_(z), wherein z has a value of about 2 to about 4, was synthesized and its magnetization was measured with a SQUID magnetometer (Quantum Design). The sample MR as a function of magnetic field and the sample magnetization under 1T magnetic field as a function of temperature were measured and are shown in FIG. 27. A gradual ferromagnetic transition starts at −200° K. and saturates below 50° K. The MR ratio of this bulk sample (60%) is significantly higher than that of the corresponding thin film sample L2 (30%). The X-ray analysis of this sample confirmed the cubic perovskite structure with a=3.82 Å.

E. Synthesis of an Array of 16 Different Organic Polymers

This example illustrates the possible synthesis of an array of 16 different organic polymers formed by the polymerization of styrene with acrylonitrile. A 3 cm×3 cm pyrex substrate having 16 predefined regions thereon is used in this example. Each of the predefined regions is 3 mm×3 mm×5 mm and, thus, the volume of each predefined region is about 45 μL. To ensure that the reactants in a given region do not move to adjacent regions, 35 μL reaction volumes will be used.

A 2 M solution of the styrene monomer in toluene and a 2 M solution of acrylonitrile in toluene are used. The initiator used to initiate the polymerization reaction is benzoyl peroxide. A 70 mM solution of benzoyl peroxide in toluene is used. The initiator is present in each of the reactions at a 10 mM concentration. The styrene, acrylonitrile and benzoyl peroxide solutions are delivered to each of the 16 predefined regions on the substrate using an ink-jet dispenser having three nozzles. The first nozzles is connected to a reservoir containing the 2 M solution of styrene in toluene, the second nozzle is connected to a reservoir containing the 2 M solution of acrylonitrile in toluene, and the third nozzle is connected to a reservoir containing the 70 mM solution of benzoyl peroxide in toluene. The initiator is delivered to each of the 16 predefined regions only after the monomers have been delivered.

To generate an array of 16 different polymers of styrene and acrylonitrile, the reactant amounts set forth in Table IV, infra, are delivered to the 16 predefined regions on the substrate. Once the monomers have been delivered to the 16 predefined regions on the substrate, 5 μL of the 70 mM initiator solution is added. The polymerization reaction is carried out at a temperature of about 60° C. and at ambient pressure. The reactions are allowed to proceed until the terminator is used up. Upon completion of the polymerization reaction, the organic solvent is removed by evaporation in vacuo (100 Torr). The resulting polymers can be screened for hardness using, for example, a nanoindentor (sharp tip).

TABLE IV VARIOUS REACTANT COMPONENTS USED TO GENERATE AN ARRAY OF 16 DIFFERENT POLYMERS Amount of 2 M Solution Amount of 2 M Solution Reaction Region of Styrene (μL) of Acrylonitrile (μL) 1 30 0 2 28.5 1.5 3 27 3 4 25.5 4.5 5 24 6 6 22.5 7.5 7 21 9 8 19.5 10.5 9 18 12 10 16.5 13.5 11 15 15 12 13.5 16.5 13 12 18 14 10.5 19.5 15 9 21 16 7.5 22.5

F. Synthesis of an Array of Zeolites

This example illustrates a possible method for the synthesis of an array of different zeolites. The reactants are delivered to a 9 cm×9 cm Teflon substrate having 16 predefined regions thereon. The substrate is placed in a sealed container having a temperature of about 100° C. Each of the 16 predefined regions on the substrate is a 1 cm×1 cm×2 cm well. The reactants are delivered to the substrate using a automated pipette.

The five components used to generate the array of zeolites are as follows: Na₂O.Al₂O₃.5H₂O, KOH, Na₂O.2SiO₂.5H₂O, NaOH and H₂O. The first four components are dissolved in water to concentrations of 2.22 M, 2.22 M, 8.88 M and 11.1 M, respectively. In delivering the components to the predefined regions on the substrate, it is important that the Na₂O.2Si0 ₂.5H₂O solution is added last. The five reactant components are delivered to the predefined regions on the substrate in the amounts set forth in Table V, infra.

Once the foregoing components have been delivered to the appropriate predefined regions on the substrate and allowed to react, the array can be scanned for microstructure using a Raman Light Scattering System. Scanning of the array can begin 2 to 3 hours after the components have been delivered to the substrate and can continue for anywhere from 5 to 10 days. In this example, Zeolite A will initially be formed at reaction region 1. With time, however, Zeolite A will be converted to Zeolite P. Zeolite X will be formed at reaction region 3. Sodalite will be formed at reaction region 6. Zeolite L will be formed at reaction region 12. In addition, other zeolites may be formed at other reaction regions on the substrate.

TABLE V VARIOUS REACTANT COMPONENTS USED TO GENERATE AN ARRAY OF ZEOLITES Amount Amount of of 2.2 M Amount 2.2 M Amount Solution of Solution of of 8.88 M of 11.1 M Na₂O• Solution Na₂O• Solution Amount Al₂O₃• of 2SiO₂• of of Reaction 5H₂O KOH 5H₂O NaOH H₂O Region (μL) (μL) (μL) (μL) (μL) 1 100 0 100 80 480 2 100 0 100 80 1280 3 100 0 200 40 420 4 100 0 200 40 1220 5 100 0 100 320 240 6 100 0 100 320 1040 7 100 0 200 280 180 8 100 0 200 280 980 9 100 200 100 80 280 10 100 200 100 80 1080 11 100 200 200 40 220 12 100 200 200 40 1020 13 100 200 100 320 40 14 100 200 100 320 840 15 100 200 200 280 0 16 100 200 200 280 800

G. Synthesis of an Array of Copper Oxide Compounds Using Spraying Deposition Techniques

This example illustrates the synthesis of an array of copper oxide compounds using spraying deposition techniques. The reactants are delivered to a 1.25 cm×1.25 cm MgO substrate having 16 predefined regions thereon. The reactants are delivered in the form of thin-films using a sprayer in combination with physical masking techniques. The sprayer used in this example is a Sinitek 8700-120MS ultrasonic sprayer. At a water flow rate of 0.26 GPM and a frequency of 120 KHz, this sprayer can generate a cone-line spraying pattern of 2 inches and a droplet diameter of 18 microns.

The four components used in this example to generate the array of inorganic materials are Bi(NO₃)₃, Cu(NO₃)₃, Ca(NO₃)₃ and Si(NO₃)₃. These components were dissolved in water to concentrations of 0.8 M, 2 M, 2 M and 2 M, respectively. The pH of the Bi(NO₃)₃ solution was about 0.9. In delivering the reactants to the predefined regions on the substrate, it is important to control the flow rate of the sprayer as well as the temperature of the substrate so that the reactant droplets dry immediately upon contact with the substrate surface. The flow rate used was kept at about 0.26 GPM, and the temperature of the substrate was maintained at about 210° C. In addition, it is important to control the spraying time so that the amount, i.e., moles, of each reactant is approximately the same. The spraying time was such that each of the thin-layer films deposited on the surface of the substrate had a thickness of about 1 to 4 microns.

Using a binary masking strategy, the aqueous solutions of Ca(NO₃)₃, Bi(NO₃)₃, Cu(NO₃)₃ and Si(NO₃)₃ were delivered, in this order, to the substrate using the following steps. As mentioned, the MgO substrate had 16 predefined regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. In a first masking step, regions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 were masked and an aqueous solution of Ca(NO₃)₃ was delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film. Thereafter, in a second masking step, the mask was repositioned so that regions 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15 and 16 were masked, and an aqueous solution of Bi(NO₃)₃ was delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film. In a third masking step, regions 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 and 16 were masked, and an aqueous solution of Cu(NO₃)₃ was delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film. Finally, in a fourth masking step, regions 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 were masked, and an aqueous solution of Si(NO₃)₃ was delivered to the exposed regions in the form of a thin-film.

Once the components of interest were delivered to the appropriate predefined regions on the substrate, the substrate having the array of reactants thereon was oxidized at 300° C. to remove any nitrogen from the array. Thereafter, the substrate was flash heated at 880° C. for about 2 minutes and rapidly quenched on a copper block. Thereafter, the array of materials was screened for superconducting material.

H. Synthesis of an Array of 16 Different Zinc Silicate Phosphors

This example illustrates the possible synthesis of an array of 16 different zinc silicate phosphors. A 1 mm×1 mm pyrex substrate having 16 predefined regions thereon is used in this example. Each of the predefined regions is 100 μm×100 μm×500 μm and, thus, the volume of each predefined region is about 5,000 picoliters. To ensure the reactants in a given region do not move to adjacent regions, 3,000 picoliter reaction volumes will be used.

The reactants will be delivered simultaneously to each region on the substrate using an ink-jet dispenser having three nozzles. The first nozzle is connected to a reservoir containing a 1M solution of ZnO in water. To generate an array of 16 different phosphors, the reactant amounts set forth in Table VI, infra, are delivered to the 16 predefined regions on the substrate. The synthesis reaction is carried out under a nitrogen atmosphere for a period of 2 hrs. at 1400° C. Once formed, each of the 16 predefined reaction regions is screened for electroluminescent materials or phosphors by radiating the sample with a specific excitation wavelength and recording the emission spectra with a Perkin-Elmer LS50 spectrofluorimeter.

TABLE VI VARIOUS REACTANT COMPONENTS USED TO GENERATE AN ARRAY OF ZINC SILICATE PHOSPHORS MnCO₃ Reaction Region SiO₂ (picoliters) ZnO 1 1500 1425 75 2 1500 1350 150 3 1500 1275 225 4 1500 1200 300 5 1500 1125 375 6 1500 1050 450 7 1500 975 525 8 1500 900 600 9 2000 950 50 10 2000 900 100 11 2000 850 150 12 2000 800 200 13 2000 750 250 14 2000 700 300 15 2000 650 350 16 2000 600 400

I. Synthesis of an Array of Copper Oxide Thin-Film Materials Using Sputtering Techniques in Combination with Photolithography Masking Techniques

This example illustrates the possible synthesis and screening of an array of copper oxide materials. The reactants are delivered to a 1.25 cm×1.25 cm MgO substrate having 256 predefined regions thereon. One side of the MgO substrate has a rough side, while the other side is finely polished (1 micron diamond paste). An extremely clean and smooth surface is needed for good adhesion of the sputtered metal oxide layers. The reactants are delivered to the substrate in the form of thin-films using a sputtering system in combination with photolithography techniques, i.e., a patterned photoresist serves as the physical mask. The pattern of the photoresist determines where sputtered material is deposited and where it will be lifted off.

Starting with a clean, finely polished substrate, the first step is to spin on the photoresist. Shipley 1400-31 is used as the photoresist because it has good heat resistant characteristics, i.e., it remains soluble after exposure to temperatures of about 100° C. The photoresist is deposited in two layers for a total thickness of 3 microns. The photoresist is applied to the substrate from a dropper bottle, and the substrate is spun at 600 rpm for 30 sec. Once the first photoresist layer is deposited, it is soft-baked at 90° C. for 15 min. Thereafter, the substrate is cooled, the second photoresist layer is deposited and then soft-baked at 90° C. for 5 min. The substrate is cooled and then immersed in chlorobenzene for 10 min. Chlorobenzene modifies the surface of the resist, thereby removing the low-molecular-weight resin. As such, after treatment with chlorobenzene, the surface of the photoresist has a lower solubility in the developer than the underlying regions. In conjunction with back scattering of light at the photoresist-substrate interface and the differential photoresist development rates, an overhang is created in the photoresist. This creates a discontinuity of the photoresist layer and prevents encapsulation of the photoresist by thin metal layers.

Once the photoresist has been deposited, the substrate is ready to be exposed. A mask is selected based on the desired location of the first layer. The photoresist is exposed on a Canon Fine Pattern Projection Mask Aligner (FPA-141F). The first layer of a 256 library contains 128 sites, each of the sites being 100 microns×100 microns, with a 50 microns distance between sites. After exposure, the photoresist is developed in a microposit developer for 45 seconds and then rinsed in water for 1 min.

The substrate is now ready for deposition of the first layer. 300 Å of BiO₃ is sputtered onto the substrate. Normally, the sputtering temperature can exceed the limits of the photoresist. It is found, however, that with a low-power sputtering (150 watts) gun and a target substrate distance of 10 cm, substrate heating has not been a problem, even for deposition periods lasting as long as 8 hours. A cooling block should be available in case the substrate temperature exceeded 100° C.

The liftoff process is achieved by placing the substrate in an ultrasonic bath of acetone. The metal adheres at sites where the photoresist had been removed as a result of prior exposure and development, whereas the metal is lifted off where the resist remained after patterning. The acetone readily dissolves the photoresist and, thus, the metal peels off. The subsequent component layers are deposited on the substrate in the same manner, except the next layer must be aligned to the first, and the sites at which the metal is to be deposited are changed. In this example, the next layer is CuO, then SrCO₃ and then CaO.

Once the components of interest are delivered to the 256 predefined regions on the substrate, the substrate is placed in a furnace, and the components are subsequently reacted. Once reacted, each of the 256 predefined regions can be screened for resistance using, for example, a 4-point contact probe.

XI. C onclusion

The present invention provides greatly improved methods and apparatus for the parallel deposition, synthesis and screening of an array of materials on a single substrate. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and variations of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Merely by way of example a wide variety of process times, reaction temperatures and other reaction conditions may be utilized, as well as a different ordering of certain processing steps. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 

1. A method for making an array of diverse materials, the method comprising forming ten or more inorganic materials on ten or more predefined discrete regions of a rigid substrate, respectively, each of at least ten of the materials being different from each other and each being formed from at least two components in each region by a method that comprises delivering a first component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions of the substrate to form a first solid layer comprising the first component on the substrate in each region, delivering a second component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions to form a second solid layer comprising the second component on the first layer in each region, and varying the combination of the delivered components among respective regions, the substrate comprising a sufficient amount of space between the ten or more regions such that the delivered components do not substantially interdiffuse between the ten or more regions of the substrate.
 2. A method for identifying useful materials, the method comprising making an array comprising ten or more different materials according to the method of claim 1, screening the at least ten different materials for a useful property of interest, and determining the relative performance of the at least ten different materials with respect to the property of interest.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein the array comprises at least 20 different materials comprising two or more layers.
 4. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein the array comprises at least 50 different materials comprising two or more layers.
 5. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein the array comprises at least 100 different materials comprising two or more layers.
 6. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein the array comprises at least 500 different materials comprising two or more layers.
 7. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein the array comprises at least 1000 different materials comprising two or more layers.
 8. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein the array comprises at least 10,000 different materials comprising two or more layers.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein the array comprises at least 100,000 different materials.
 10. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein the array comprises at least 1,000,000 different materials.
 11. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein each of at least ten of the different materials comprises 3 or more components.
 12. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein each of at least ten of the different materials comprise 4 or more components.
 13. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein each of at least ten of the different materials comprise 5 or more components.
 14. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein each of at least ten of the different materials comprise 6 or more components.
 15. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein each of at least ten of the different materials comprise 7 or more components.
 16. The method as recited in claim 1 or 2 wherein each of at least ten of the different materials comprise 8 or more components.
 17. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the at least ten different materials comprise layers of the delivered components of the materials.
 18. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the method for forming the at least ten different materials further comprises allowing two or more components of the at least ten different materials to interact.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein forming the ten or more inorganic materials further comprises annealing, to thereby cause the components to interact by intermingling, interdiffusing interspersing, doping, implanting, interpenetrating, condensing or fusing.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein forming the ten or more inorganic materials further comprises annealing at a temperature ranging from about 200° C. to about 300° C., to thereby cause the components to interact, without reaction, by intermingling, interdiffusing, interspersing, doping, implanting, interpenetrating, condensing or fusing.
 21. The methods of claim 1 or 2 wherein the density of the ten or more material-containing regions is greater than about 1 region per 25 cm².
 22. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the density of the ten or more material-containing regions is greater than about 1 region per 10 cm².
 23. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein twenty or more different materials comprising two or more layers are formed on twenty or more distinct regions of the substrate, the density of the twenty or more material-containing regions being greater than about 1 region per cm².
 24. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein one hundred or more different materials comprising two or more layers are formed on one hundred or more distinct regions of the substrate, the density of the one hundred or more material-containing regions being greater than about 1 region per cm².
 25. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein one thousand or more different materials comprising two or more layers are formed on one thousand or more distinct regions of the substrate, the density of the one thousand or more material-containing regions being greater than about 10 regions per cm².
 26. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein ten thousand or more different materials comprising two or more layers are formed on ten thousand or more distinct regions of the substrate, the density of the ten thousand or more material-containing regions being greater than about 100 regions per cm².
 27. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein ten or more different materials are intermetallic materials.
 28. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein ten or more different materials are metal alloys.
 29. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein ten or more different materials are ceramic materials.
 30. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the components of the ten or more different materials are delivered as solids.
 31. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein ten or more different materials are each formed by a method that comprises sequentially delivering the first component, the second component, a third component, and optionally additional components of the material to form three or more layers at the predefined region.
 32. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the ten or more different materials comprise layers of two or more components, at least one of the components being different between the ten or more materials, and at least one of the components being the same between the ten or more materials.
 33. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising physically masking the substrate while delivering one or more components to a region of the substrate.
 34. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the components of the ten or more materials are delivered using a delivery technique selected from the group consisting of sputtering techniques, spraying techniques, laser ablation techniques, electron beam evaporation techniques, thermal evaporation techniques, ion-beam techniques, ion implantation techniques, doping techniques, chemical vapor deposition techniques and liquid dispensing techniques.
 35. The method of claim 34 wherein the components are delivered using electron beam evaporation techniques.
 36. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein said useful property is selected from the group consisting of electrical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, optical, magnetic and chemical properties.
 37. A method for making an array of diverse materials, the method comprising forming ten or more inorganic materials on ten or more predefined discrete regions of a rigid substrate, respectively, each of at least ten of the materials being different from each other and each being formed from at least two components in each region by a method that comprises delivering a first component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions of the substrate to form a first solid layer comprising the first component on the substrate in each region, delivering a second component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions to form a second solid layer comprising the second component on the first layer in each region, varying the combination of the delivered components among respective regions; and allowing the components to interact by intermingling, interdiffusing, interspersing, doping, implanting, interpenetrating, condensing, or fusing.
 38. A method for identifying useful materials, the method comprising making an array comprising ten or more different materials as set forth in claim 37, screening the at least ten different materials for a useful property of interest, and determining the relative performance of the at least ten different materials with respect to the property of interest.
 39. The method of claim 37 wherein the ten or more regions of the substrate are defined by chemical or physical barriers.
 40. The method of claim 37 wherein the ten or more regions of the substrate are defined by physical barriers selected from the group consisting of dimples, wells and vessels.
 41. The method of claim 37 or 38 wherein the array comprises at least 10,000 different materials comprising two or more layers.
 42. The method of claim 37 or 38 wherein one thousand or more different materials comprising two or more layers are formed on one thousand or more discrete regions of the substrate, the density of the one thousand or more material-containing regions being greater than about 10 regions per cm².
 43. The method of claim 37 or 38 wherein the ten or more different materials comprise layers of two or more components, at least one of the components being different between the ten or more materials, and at least one of the components being the same between the ten or more materials.
 44. A method for making an array of diverse materials, the method comprising forming ten or more inorganic materials on ten or more predefined discrete regions of a substrate, respectively, each of at least ten of the materials being different from each other, and each being formed from at least five components in each region by a method that comprises sequentially delivering five or more components of of each of said materials to each of the predefined discrete regions of the substrate to form five or more solid layers of the delivered components, each of at least five of the delivered components being an inorganic element or compound; and varying the combination of the five or more delivered components among respective regions.
 45. A method for identifying useful materials, the method comprising making an array comprising ten or more different materials as set forth in claim 44, screening the at least ten different materials for one or more useful properties of interest, and determining the relative performance of the at least ten different materials with respect to the property of interest.
 46. A method for identifying useful materials, the method comprising forming one hundred or more solid inorganic materials on one hundred or more predefined discrete regions of a rigid substrate, respectively, each of at least one hundred of the materials being different from each other and each being formed from at least two components in each region by a method that comprises delivering a first component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions of the substrate to form a first solid layer comprising the first component on the substrate in each region, delivering a second component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions to form a second solid layer comprising the second component on the first layer in each region, varying the combination of the delivered components among respective regions, and allowing the delivered first and second components of the material to simultaneously interact under a set of conditions the substrate comprising the at least one hundred material-containing regions at a density of greater than about 10 regions per cm², the substrate further comprising a sufficient amount of space between the at least one hundred material-containing regions such that the delivered components do not substantially interdiffuse between the at least one hundred material-containing regions of the substrate, screening the at least one-hundred different materials for one or more useful properties of interest, and determining the relative performance of the at least one-hundred different materials with respect to the property of interest.
 47. A method for identifying useful materials, the method comprising forming ten or more inorganic or non-biological polymeric materials on ten or more predefined discrete regions of a substrate, respectively, each of at least ten of the materials being composite materials that are different from each other and each being formed from at least two components in each region by a method that comprises delivering a first component of each of said composite materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions of the substrate to form a first solid layer comprising the first component on the substrate in each region, delivering a second component of each of said composite materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions to form a second solid layer comprising the second component on the first layer in each region, and varying the combination of the delivered components among respective regions, screening the at least ten different composite materials for one or more useful properties of interest, and determining the relative performance of the at least ten different composite materials with respect to the property of interest.
 48. The method of claim 47 wherein the ten or more materials are inorganic materials.
 49. The method of claim 47 wherein the ten or more materials are polymeric materials.
 50. The method of claim 47 wherein the ten or more different inorganic or non-biological polymeric materials are formed on the ten or more predefined regions of the substrate to form an array of materials consisting essentially of the substrate and the ten or more different materials.
 51. The method of claim 1, 37, 44 or 47 wherein the method for forming each of the at least ten different materials further comprises allowing the delivered first and second components of the material to simultaneously interact under a set of conditions.
 52. A method for making an array of diverse materials, the method comprising forming ten or more inorganic materials on ten or more predefined discrete regions of a rigid substrate, respectively, each of at least ten of the materials being different from each other and each being formed from at least two components in each region by a method that comprises delivering a first component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions of the substrate to form a first solid layer comprising the first component on the substrate in each region, delivering a second component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions to form a second solid layer comprising the second component on the first layer in each region, and varying the combination of the delivered components as a gradient among respective regions.
 53. A method for identifying useful materials, the method comprising making an array comprising ten or more different materials as set forth in claim 52, screening the at least ten different materials for a useful property of interest, and determining the relative performance of the at least ten different materials with respect to the property of interest.
 54. The method of claim 52 or 53 wherein the method for forming each of at least ten of the materials further comprises delivering a third component of the material to the respective predefined discrete region to form a third solid layer of the third component on the second layer.
 55. The method of claim 54 wherein each the at least ten different materials consist of a first, second and third component selected from a group of four components.
 56. The method of claim 37, 44, 46, 47 or 52 wherein the combination of delivered components is varied by varying composition of the delivered first or second components among respective regions.
 57. The method of claim 37, 44, 46, 47 or 52 wherein the combination of delivered components is varied by varying concentration of the delivered first or second components among respective regions.
 58. The method of claim 37, 44, 46, 47 or 52 wherein the combination of delivered components is varied by varying thickness of the delivered first or second components among respective regions.
 59. A method for making an array of diverse materials, the method comprising forming ten or more inorganic materials on ten or more predefined discrete regions of a rigid substrate, respectively, each of at least ten of the materials being different from each other and each being formed from at least two components in each region by a method that comprises (a) delivering a first component of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions of the substrate to form a first solid layer comprising the first component on the substrate in each region, (b) delivering a second component of of each of said materials to each of the respective predefined discrete regions to form a second solid layer comprising the second component on the first layer in each region, (c) varying the combination of the delivered components among respective regions, and (d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) at least once to form a lattice or superlattice comprising the first and second components.
 60. A method for identifying useful materials, the method comprising making an array comprising ten or more different materials as set forth in claim 59, screening the at least ten different materials for a useful property of interest, and determining the relative performance of the at least ten different materials with respect to the property of interest.
 61. The method of claim 59 or 60 wherein the method for forming each of at least ten of the materials further comprises delivering a third component of the material to the respective predefined discrete region to form a third solid layer of the third component on the second layer, such that the lattice or superlattice comprises layers of the first, second and third components.
 62. The method of claim 61 wherein the method for forming each of at least ten of the materials further comprises annealing the lattice or superlattice for low-temperature diffusion between component layers.
 63. The method of claim 61 wherein the method for forming each of at least ten of the materials further comprises annealing at a temperature ranging from about 200° C. to about 300° C. whereby the components interact, without reaction, by intermingling, interdiffusing, interspersing, doping, implanting, interpenetrating, condensing or fusing.
 64. The method of claim 61 wherein the method for forming each of at least ten of the materials further comprises sintering at a temperature ranging from 800° C. to about 1000° C.
 65. The method of claim 61 wherein each of the first, second and third layers are thin films having a thickness ranging from about 100 Å to about 1000 Å. 